


Alcatza and the Walters'

by LestradeIsBae



Category: Original Work
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 33,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27490726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LestradeIsBae/pseuds/LestradeIsBae
Summary: This is the final story in the 'Mystery at St Brendan's' trilogy. Unlike the first two stories, this story is told in the third person. Following on from the events of the second story, our setting moves from Ireland to the city of Carlisle, England. Archie Ingram has recently taken over the role of Minister at St Bartholomew's Church. He has received a strange call from the Irish Minister Cal McCluskey, saying that there is some kind of spirit in the house across the road. Archie is sceptical, but it isn't long before he's thrown into a paranormal turmoil. He has to find a team to tackle the spirit Alcatza which dwells in Number 67 before harm comes to the Walters family who have recently moved in.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This original story was written in May-July 2020. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this story! If you do, please leave Kudos and comment below. Feel free to share this work to other sites (giving me credit, of course!)

It was a stormy Thursday afternoon in the small English city of Carlisle. The rain was hammering against the large stained-glass windows of St Bartholomew’s, a relatively small Church of England church with a primarily elderly congregation. Reverend Archie Ingram, the thirty-two-year-old Minister of the church, sat at his desk in the church office gazing lazily out of the window.

He had sermons to write and meetings to organise, and all the other tasks that were part and parcel of being a Minister. However, Archie Ingram was not an overly motivated man. He enjoyed lazing around on the sofa in his flat watching television for hours on end, usually sitcoms, and thinking of nothing. Thinking stressed Archie out. And he did _not_ like to be stressed out.

He liked to be calm.

Being calm wasn’t the easiest achievement at the moment. Archie’s father, Francis Ingram, was receiving end of life care at a local hospice. Francis had previously been the Minister of St Bartholomew’s, and now it was Archie’s turn to take those reins. He loved his father with all his heart, so when his father asked him to take over leadership of the congregation, he had to say yes. He had hoped to move down to London and take up a ministry position in a modern, vibrant church community, however for the foreseeable future he was going to be stuck with St Bartholomew’s. The members of the church were nice enough, Archie would admit, but they were so stuck in their ways, and so difficult to have a regular conversation with.

And another source of stress at the moment was the weird phone call he’d received from a Minister in Ireland. Reverend Caleb McCluskey had phoned regarding a boy whose family had attended St Bartholomew’s Church, and had recently moved to the outskirts of Dublin. According to Reverend McCluskey, the seventeen-year-old boy, Stephen, had been communicating with a spirit inhabiting his home back when the family had lived in Carlisle, and upon moving to Ireland had completely lost it and had hurt and attempted to kill several of his peers. Apparently the whole family had seen this spirit but it hadn’t actually spoken to any of them aside from Stephen. Reverend McCluskey said that the Minister and other members of the St Bartholomew’s congregation had prayed over the house about ten years ago. Archie vaguely remembered something about that, but he hadn’t been involved. There were a new family living in the house now. It was a three-floor Victorian-style house directly across the road from the church. The new family were the Walters’. Some of the congregation had spoken to them already, but Archie had yet to meet them.

“You know I can’t just go over there and suggest the house is haunted” Archie had said to Reverend McCluskey over the phone.

“Yes, I know, I know… but I thought I should let you know about this. We’ve been dealing with some insane stuff over here. I just want you to know that if anything does come up, I’m happy to help you”.

“Ok. Well… thank you” Archie had replied.

He’d put the phone down and stared up at the ceiling for about an hour, his face a picture of confusion.


	2. Chapter 2

Damien Walters awoke to the sound of birds singing outside his open bedroom window. He sat up slowly and stretched, inhaling the fresh morning air.

Damien loved mornings, but preferably weekend mornings. Today was a school day. Damien had recently started at Moorfield Road Community School, along with his younger sister Nellie, who was in year eight.

Damien was in year eleven and doing GCSE’s in English Language and Literature, Maths, Triple Science, History, Religious Studies and French. He planned to take English Literature, History, Religious Studies and Classics at A-Level next year.

Damien enjoyed school to some extent, and was a high achiever, but he’d much preferred his old school back in Suffolk.

He hadn’t wanted to move to Carlisle.

The Walters’ had moved after Colton, the children’s stepfather, had been offered a job that he ‘just couldn’t turn down’.

Damien didn’t particularly like his stepfather.

Colton was a Solicitor, specialising in Business Law. He spent the majority of his free time talking, reading, and often arguing about politics.

Damien got out of bed and pulled on his navy-blue school uniform. He went downstairs for breakfast and had toast with blackcurrant jam.

Colton was making himself a cup of coffee.

“Hey son, you alright?” Colton asked Damien.

Damien hated being called son by Colton, but he smiled softly and nodded.

“Yeah. You?” Damien replied.

“Could do with a few more hours in bed, but yeah, all good. Do you want a drink?”

“Yeah please. Green tea please”.

Damien had gotten his love of green tea from his mother, Delia. He hardly ever went a day without having at least one cup.

Delia Walters strolled into the kitchen. She always had a carefree air about her. She was wearing a dark green blouse with cream formal trousers and burgundy brogues, and her dark blonde hair was long and wavy.

“Green tea for me too please love” she said softly to Colton as she put in some toast for herself and took a seat at the dining table beside Damien.

Delia was a Clinical Psychologist for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. She had recently started her new job at a local outpatient service, and she sometimes visited inpatients too.

Lula and Nellie came downstairs at the same time and had cereal for breakfast. Lula had just turned seventeen and had recently started studying Music, Art and Psychology A-Levels at sixth form college. She played the electric guitar and sang and loved music, especially 70’s and 80’s rock and punk. She hoped to be in a successful band in the future. Her hair was a medium shade of brown but she dyed the tips red, blue, green and purple. Her aim was to have five colours in her hair like the McFly song. She already had a tattoo on her right forearm, which was of a stone cross with deep pink roses on it. She planned to get many more tattoos in her lifetime and if music didn’t work out for her then she hoped to become a tattoo artist, or perhaps she could do both. She’d managed to get an A* in her GCSE Art, which was her greatest achievement.

Nellie was twelve years old with long dark blonde hair like her mother’s. She usually wore her hair in plaits and had a cute, smiley face that lit up a room. She was friendly, kind-hearted and bubbly.

Damien got on well with both of his sisters, but he spent more time with Nellie. They enjoyed going on adventures in the outdoors. That was one thing about that was good about Carlisle – the Lake District was right there on the doorstep.

The Walters’ got into their car, a silver Land Rover, affectionately known as Crystal by the children. Colton drove, with Delia beside him, and the three children in the back.

Damien and Nellie were dropped off first. Nellie ran to join her new school friends, waving goodbye to Damien as she did so.

“Have a good day!” Damien called to her and she grinned at him.

“You too!”.

Damien headed up to the third floor of Einstein Block, where his Form Room was based. It was a Media Studies classroom with posters of iconic movies covering the walls. Damien loved to play a game in his mind where he would aim to memorise a row at a time of the movies and then look away and see if he could recall them all. He continued this until he could name every single one of the posters displayed in the class. He’d managed it a few times over the last week. _Pulp Fiction, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Exorcist, The Shining, It’s a Wonderful Life…_

Damien’s thoughts were interrupted by Miss Notley entering the room and saying a warm hello to her form room class.

Damien didn’t have any proper friends here at Moorfield Road yet, and he was still working out his opinions of most of his teachers, but he quite liked Miss Notley. She’d been very welcoming and had helped show Damien around on his first day. She was also his Religious Studies teacher. Damien hadn’t been too bothered about Religious Studies at his previous school, but Miss Notley taught it in a way that was very engaging and eye-opening. Damien had seen Miss Notley go to the church across the road from his house, but she didn’t make her faith obvious when teaching her lessons. She allowed the class to develop their own opinions and arguments, which Damien really respected, even though he knew that teachers were required to be unbiased in their teaching.

Damien had never been to church. His mother wasn’t religious, and his father wasn’t either. Colton _certainly_ wasn’t. Colton Walters was the strongest atheist Damien had ever known. He would openly mock religion at any opportunity he got, and it almost made Damien feel uncomfortable.

Damien wasn’t entirely sure what he believed. He supposed he believed there was _something_ out there. He’d recently watched a film called the _Case for Christ_ , which Miss Notley had mentioned in class. Colton had seen the DVD box in Damien’s room and had asked

“What are you doing with that rubbish?”. 

Though perhaps _‘rubbish’_ was not the word he had used.

“Oh it’s just something for school” Damien had replied.

After that, Damien had found he was motivated to research more into Christianity. He wondered if it was because of some sort of resentment towards his stepfather. But he knew deep down it was more than that. He felt an urge to ask Miss Notley about her church, but he was pretty shy and sometimes he stuttered, especially when talking to pretty ladies like Miss Notley.

After Religious Studies class that afternoon, he stood up slowly and waited till everyone else had left the room.

“How are you settling in Damien?” Miss Notley asked.

“I’m doing well Miss” he replied. “I was just wondering… I’ve seen you go to the church across the road from mine, St Bartholomew’s right?”

“Yes”

“I’ve never been to church before so I don’t really know how it works… but can you just, you know… walk in if you’ve never been before?”.

Miss Notley smiled softly.

“Yes of course. Are you thinking about it?”.

Damien nodded, blushing slightly.

“Yeah… I watched that film you were talking about, the Case for Christ, and I really liked it. But my stepfather literally despises religion. I don’t know how he’d feel about me going to church”

“Well there’s a youth group that meets at St Bartholomew’s from 7 to 9 on Wednesday evenings. I help run it actually with our Minister, Archie. It’s mostly just games and activities, but we always have ten minutes for a devotion, which is where we discuss a topic, and have a Bible reading, and pray. There are several young people that come along who don’t have a church background. You’d be very welcome”.

Damien nodded.

“I’ll talk to my mum about it. Thanks Miss” Damien said.

“Of course” Miss Notley replied.

A few weeks later, Damien had built up the courage to mention the youth club at St Bartholomew’s while the family were sitting around the table for dinner.

“What do you think?” he asked Delia.

“It sounds like a lovely idea. It will help you all to get to know some of the kids around here and feel like part of the community” Delia replied.

“I’m not so sure” Colton said, frowning.

“I don’t want you all being corrupted by them” he added, seriously.

“They only do ten minutes of Bible reading and praying and all that” Damien replied.

“That’s enough time for it to get into your head… give you ideas” Colton said.

“Maybe I’ve already been having ideas” Damien answered, his heart rate speeding up slightly.

He hated confrontation and he was worried that this was going to turn into an argument.

“Oh you have, have you?” Colton responded. His voice was calm, but Damien could sense that he definitely wasn’t happy about this.

Damien and Colton’s eyes latched onto each other across the table.

“And that’s completely fine” Delia said quickly. “Damien, you can believe whatever you wish to believe… and same goes to you Colt”.

Colton grunted.

“I think it sounds really fun” Nellie said cheerfully.

“What about you Lula?” Delia asked her daughter. “Would you like to try this group?”.

Lula shrugged. “Yeah, why not?”.

Damien smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Archie Ingram dressed into blue jeans, a white shirt and red Converse.

His hair was a mess, but then it usually was.

He styled it with some gel but it didn’t make a whole lot of difference.

He was off to the Hospice to visit his father.

He poured some coffee into a flask before getting in his car, a Black Ford.

Archie put on the Magic radio station and sang along slightly as he drove. He wasn’t much of a singer, but there were some good tunes on the radio today. _Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader, Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac, Informer by Snow, Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney._

A nice mix.

Archie arrived at the Hospice at 2pm.

His father was sitting propped up in bed, a cheery smile appearing on his face at the sight of his son.

Even terminal illness couldn’t shake Francis Ingram.

Archie didn’t have a clue how his father still kept his smile.

“Hiya Dad” Archie said, hugging his father and kissing his cheek gently.

“Hey Arch” Francis replied croakily.

Archie sat on his father’s bed and they talked for a while about anything and everything.

And then Archie brought up his strange phone conversation with the Irish Minister, Caleb McCluskey.

“So he just phoned out of the blue, saying that you and some other folk from church prayed over the house to get rid of this spirit, but apparently it didn’t work. And Stephen McCuaig went on some sort of an attempted murder rampage, claiming it was due to having moved away from the spirit. I didn’t really know what to think”.

Francis’s brow furrowed as he listened to his son.

“Well yes, we did pray over the house. But the McCuaig’s said the spirit left after that”

“Yeah according to Reverend McCluskey that wasn’t true”

“Right”.

Francis looked thoughtful.

“So the spirit is still in the house?” He asked Archie.

“Supposedly. Unless it went with them. I don’t know. I don’t know if I really believe this stuff” Archie replied.

“It’s real Arch. I promise you. I saw the spirit in the house. I felt the presence. Is there anyone in the house now that the McCuaig’s have gone?”

“Yes. A family. The Walters’. A mum, stepfather, teenage girl and boy, and a younger girl”

“Have you spoken to them?”

“No. But Jenny’s the boy’s Form Tutor and Religious Studies teacher at Moorfield Road. She says the kids are hoping to come along to the Wednesday night group. The family aren’t Christian though, and the stepfather is a pretty strong atheist from what I’ve heard”

“You need to get alongside them Arch. You don’t need to mention anything about the spirit, unless they mention something first, but please keep an eye out”

“Reverend McCluskey says he’s happy to help if anything does come up”

“Make sure you accept his help. If there is still a spirit in that house, you can’t manage it on your own”.

Archie nodded, frowning slightly.

This was weird.

Archie went home at dinner time and had a macaroni and cheese ready meal.

He thought over everything his father had said. Archie had never had to deal with anything like this before. He’d felt the power of the Holy Spirit, and he believed in the word of the Bible, but this was a whole new step.

Could there really be a spirit dwelling in the Walters’ home?

Later that week, Francis Ingram passed away.

Archie was distraught. He had been with his father when he died, which he was grateful for. His mother, Emilia, was with them too. Archie found it difficult to show strong emotion and he hated crying so, so much. But he couldn’t help it at the moment. He felt totally lost. 

Francis’ funeral was held a few weeks later. Archie gave a eulogy. He managed to maintain his composure throughout it which was a relief for him. His whole family were here, although his family was considerably small. His mother sat on his left and his uncles, his father’s brothers Ellis and Sam, sat on his right. Emilia’s siblings were here and so were their children, Archie’s cousins, but Archie didn’t know them very well. He wasn’t close to any of his wider family. He wasn’t even overly close to his mother.

As Archie watched the coffin being lowered into the ground he found himself overcome with sobs. Jenny Notley was standing beside him. She was Archie’s closest friend, and she put her arms around him, holding him tight. Archie buried his head in her shoulder, his tears staining her emerald green dress. The strength of his grief was making him feel like he was going to pass out.

Afterwards, Francis’ closest family members and friends continued on to Francis and Emilia’s house. They sat in the living room, looking through old photo albums showing pictures of Francis as a boy, his school photos, his wedding to Emilia when they were both twenty-two, Archie as a baby with Francis holding him in his arms… They watched Francis’ wedding video as well, and home videos of Francis, Emilia and a very young Archie. Archie felt a lump in his throat that wouldn’t go away no matter how many times he tried to swallow it down.

Archie went to Jenny’s bungalow afterwards. She made him a cup of tea and they sat on the sofa.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without him Jen” Archie said, sighing a painful sigh.

“You’re going to get through this. I promise you” Jenny said softly.

Archie couldn’t stop thinking about his conversation with his father about the Walters’.

He didn’t feel like he could deal with anything at the moment, let alone a potential case of demonic presence.

“Jen, you know the Walters’ family?” Archie asked Jenny.

“Yeah” she replied.

“My Dad said I need to look out for them. There’s this… oh, this is going to sound mad”

“No, go on”.

Archie sighed.

“I got a phone call from a Minister in Ireland. You know the McCuaig’s? Stephen, Gavin?”

“Yes”

“Ok, so, apparently like ten years ago there was a spirit in their house. The same house the Walters’ are in now. My dad prayed over the house at the time, but the spirit never left. It spoke to Stephen and drove him mad or something. Just a few weeks ago he attempted to kill several people, including his girlfriend”.

Jenny’s eyes widened. “Oh wow”.

“Yeah… so, he said he did it because the spirit had been the most important thing in his life, and now he didn’t have it anymore. I don’t know what to think. But if this is _true,_ then there’s still a spirit in that house”.

Jenny nodded.

“My mum was one of the people who prayed over the house. I remember she mentioned it to me briefly. I think it was when I was at university” Jenny said.

“I just need to make sure I’m keeping a good eye on them. And that they feel the church is a safe place if anything starts going on. My dad said I can’t do this alone” Archie replied.

Jenny took hold of Archie’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“You’ve got me, ok? Anything that happens, you come to me”

“Do you believe this stuff?”.

Jenny shrugged slightly and tilted her head.

“Yeah, I guess I do. But hopefully there won’t be any problems”.

They never could have prepared for what was coming.


	4. Chapter 4

It was Wednesday evening and Lula, Damien and Nellie were getting ready to go to the youth group at St Bartholomew’s for the first time. None of them had ever even set foot in a church before and they had no idea what to expect.

Lula had a huge interest in the spiritual world but she’d never properly considered Christianity, though she liked a lot of the imagery within the faith. She was into wellbeing, yoga and meditation. She checked her horoscope every day without fail and had a tapestry on her bedroom wall of a lion under a glowing sun, to represent her sign, Leo. Lula also collected crystals and gemstones and had gothic fairy ornaments and dazzling dragons displayed on her shelves. She used Tarot Cards and had books on spellcasting. She didn’t stray into the occult. Black magic wasn’t really something she felt comfortable with. But Lula, without a doubt, believed there was more to life than just the physical.

Lula, Damien and Nellie crossed the road to St Bartholomew’s.

Lula was wearing yellow and black tartan trousers, a Guns N Roses t-shirt and rainbow Dr Martens with _Pride_ written down the back. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, with the colourful tips flaring out. She didn’t know if St Bartholomew’s was the kind of church to judge LGBTQ+ people, but if she got any negative comments about her shoes, she would know the church was the last place she wanted to be. Her tattoo was visible too, but at least it was a cross.

Damien was wearing jeans and a turquoise zip-up jacket, with light blue trainers.

Nellie was wearing a tie-dye t-shirt under denim dungarees, with yellow trainers decorated with tangerine suns.

The inside of the church was very traditional with stained glass windows and wooden seating.

 _Beautiful_ Lula thought, a slight smile appearing on her face.

A woman with long strawberry blonde hair and freckles waved to them.

“Hi” she said, coming over to them.

“Hey Miss” Damien replied.

Lula guessed this was Miss Notley.

“Nice to meet you two. Damien’s told me a bit about you” Miss Notley said to Lula and Nellie.

“Nice to meet you too” Lula and Nellie chorused.

“My name’s Jenny, and I help to run this group with our Minister, Archie. We’re just through here” she gestured towards an open door where chatter and music was drifting from.

It was a large room with a pool table, games consoles, speakers, beanbags, a tuck shop and arts and crafts activities.

A man in a grey jumper and jeans came over to greet them.

“Hi. You must be Lula, Damien and Nellie” he said. “I’m Archie, I’m the Minister here at St Bartholomew’s. It’s great to have you here” he lifted his hand to high five them “Up top”.

Lula liked him already. He seemed sweet, in a dorky sort of way.

Lula sat herself down at the table with the arts and crafts activities. She smoothed out some black card and got some glitter and neon paints. She painted planets, moons and constellations with the glowing neon paints, which stood out against the black background. She added glitter to the silver stars once the paint had dried.

“Oh wow, that’s lovely” Jenny took a seat at Lula’s side, admiring her painting.

“Thank you” Lula smiled.

“Damien mentioned that you’re doing Art for A-Level”

“Yeah. I love it”

“What other subjects are you doing?”

“Music and Psychology”

“Oh nice. Do you play an instrument?”

“Yeah, electric guitar. And I sing as well”

“That’s so cool. We’ve got a band here at the church. In the past we mostly did hymns and more traditional songs, but we’ve been moving towards modern worship. We’re actually looking for guitar players at the moment”.

Lula considered that. She didn’t reckon worship music was really her kind of thing but getting involved in any sort of band would be useful.

“That sounds good. I’d have to be a Christian to be in the band though, right?”

“Well, not necessarily. You can be a part of the community here regardless of where you’re at with faith”.

Lula nodded.

“I’ll come along on Sunday and see how it is here” she said.

“How was it?” Delia asked when the children got in.

“Really good” Damien replied. “I had a great chat with the Minister, Archie”

“What about?” Colton asked, looking up from his phone where he was undoubtedly scrolling through news articles.

“All sorts. Mostly about the church. I think I’m going to go along on Sunday”.

Lula noticed the tension on Colton’s face.

They all noticed it.

“Me too” Lula said. “There’s a band, and they’re looking for guitar players. It’ll be good to be in a band, whatever kind of music they’re playing. I haven’t set anything up at college yet, and I really need the experience”.

Colton shook his head, looking away.

“Well that’s fine. If that’s what you want to do” Delia said. “How about you Nellie? How did you find it?”.

“Yeah, it was great. They have a group that meets during the Sunday Service as well, which is like tonight but shorter, and there’s more Bible readings. I think it will be quite fun”.

“I knew this would happen” Colton sighed.

“Colt, it’s fine” Delia said softly.

“It’s not fine. It’s a sickness. How anyone can believe in a supernatural being in a scientific age is completely beyond me. You read as much of the news as I do, you’ll understand that god doesn’t exist, and if he did, he’d be a hateful, evil, spiteful god desiring to inflict pain and terror on the world. Why worship a god like that?” Colton was going on and on.

Delia sighed.

Damien bit his lip and looked anxious.

Colton continued. “Sure, sure, you can believe whatever the hell you want. But this is _my_ house, and if I hear any mention of the stuff they’re brainwashing you with, I-”

“You’ll what?” Lula asked, crossing her arms.

Colton didn’t respond.

The children went upstairs. Nellie came to chill in Lula’s room when the sounds of Delia and Colton arguing floated up from downstairs.

“I’m not used to them arguing” Nellie said. “I don’t want to annoy Colton. But the church seemed really nice”

“Colton’s just an idiot. Ignore him. We’ll do what we want to do. He has no power over us. He’s not even our dad. It’s not our fault Mum decided to marry him” Lula replied.

Nellie looked sad, and that wasn’t normal for her, so Lula instantly wanted to cheer her up.

“Come here. Let me do French plaits on you”.

Nellie perked up straight away, smiling, and came to sit on Lula’s comfy black velvet footstool. Lula played some music while she did Nellie’s hair to drown out the sounds from downstairs.

Delia and Colton weren’t exactly screaming at each other, but it was weird to hear them argue nonetheless, and it made the children quite tense. Lula wondered if she should go and ask Damien if he was ok, but she guessed he’d probably be busy with his homework, with his headphones in.

Lula did go and check on Damien before she went to bed. He was reading _Wuthering Heights_.

“You ok?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just wish he wouldn’t get like that”

“I know, me too”.

She sat down on the bed beside Damien and gave him a quick hug. Then she went back to her room and got ready for bed. She changed into a black vest top and red and white checked pyjama bottoms and opened her window to let in the light evening breeze.

She went to sleep quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

Nellie woke with a start from the worst nightmare she had ever had. She could still remember all the details, like it was ingrained in her mind.

_She had been running through a woodland, stumbling over rocks and branches, trying to get away from something that was chasing her. Eventually she had come to a clearing. Her mum, Colton, Lula and Damien were lying there on the ground. When she approached them, she realised they were all dead. She stared up at the sky and the glowing moon slowly changed from a pure white to an angry red and began to leak raindrops of blood. Nellie felt the splash of the blood on her face, saw it trickling down her arms, staining her clothes._

_And she screamed_

Nellie shook, her teeth clenched.

She hadn’t had a bad dream in so long. The last time she had, she probably would have gone to sleep in her parent’s bed. She guessed she probably hadn’t had a really bad dream since her mum had started seeing Colton. She wasn’t going to get into her mum’s bed if he was there.

She lay back on her pillow and tried to fall back to sleep, but her stomach hurt with the anxiety. She rolled over, lying on her side and curling up into a ball underneath the covers.

And then she felt her knee bump against something.

She wiggled around and felt a shape.

Something was on her bed.

Nellie’s anxiety increased, if that was even possible.

She slowly pulled the covers off of her head and peeked out. Her room was almost pitch black but she could make out some sort of figure sitting there on her bed.

She let out a tiny whimper, her stomach churning in knots and her breathing quickening.

 _I’m going to die_ Nellie thought.

She wanted to scream but couldn’t. She felt like all the air was being sucked out of her lungs.

 _Maybe I’m still dreaming_ she thought. _Yes maybe that’s it._

She willed herself to wake up.

_Come on, come on, wake up! This is just a silly dream. It’s not real. There’s no one there!_

She blinked rapidly, pinching herself gently. She squeezed her eyes shut and snapped them open.

She still felt the weight pressing against her leg.

Nellie fumbled for her phone on her bedside table.

She picked it up and switched it on.

It illuminated the room and in a flash she saw the red face of the figure on her bed and its massive razor-sharp incisors hanging down over it’s chapped, bleeding lips.

And then it was gone.

Nellie jumped out of bed and hurried out of her room. She went to Lula’s room and knocked on the door, her hand shaking.

She opened the door quietly.

“Lula?” she asked, in a weak voice.

“Mm?” Lula rolled over in bed.

Nellie sat down at Lula’s side.

“I’m scared” she whispered.

“What of?” Lula asked sleepily.

Nellie didn’t know how to explain what had just happened so she shrugged, though Lula couldn’t see in the dark.

“I… I think I had a bad dream”.

Lula sat up slowly.

“Are you worried about mum and Colton arguing last night?”.

Nellie had completely forgotten about that.

“No. No, I don’t think so. I don’t know what’s wrong with me”.

Lula put her arm around Nellie, who was trying hard not to start crying.

What she’d seen in her room had scared her beyond belief and she didn’t know how to process it in her mind.

She felt herself start to hyperventilate.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok” Lula said concernedly.

Lula had never seen her sister distressed like this.

“Can I sleep in here?” Nellie asked, her voice cracking.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Do you want me to get you some water or anything?”.

Nellie didn’t want to be left alone in the room. Nor did she want Lula to go downstairs on her own. What if that… that _thing_ was still there?

But she was very thirsty.

“I’ll come with you” Nellie said.

“Ok” Lula nodded, frowning slightly.

Nellie and Lula headed downstairs. They passed Nellie’s open bedroom door in the corridor and Nellie peered in, looking for that figure that she had seen.

It wasn’t there.

Or at least she couldn’t see it.

The stairs creaked loudly as they went down to the kitchen. The tiles on the floor were icy cold.

Lula switched on the kitchen light and went to the sink.

Suddenly the light flickered to a bright, blinding red for just a millisecond before the kitchen went dark, and then the normal light came back on.

Lula and Nellie both froze.

If they had blinked, they would have missed the change in the lights.

But they’d both seen it.

“What the hell was that?” Lula asked, baffled.

“I don’t know” Nellie murmured, her eyes darting around the room, looking for the creature.

Lula got a glass of water for Nellie and one for herself and switched off the kitchen lights as they left the room. Both girls felt a growing sense of unease tugging at them.

They climbed back up the creaking stairs and went to Lula’s room. Lula had some fairy lights in the shape of suns, and she switched them on.

The girls got into bed and tried to settle. Nellie felt exhausted but every time her eyes closed and she was on the verge of falling asleep, her eyes would snap back open in a panic.

Lula had somehow managed to sleep, though she’d been nervous as well.

Nellie tried to calm her racing thoughts.

 _It’s ok. I’m with Lula. I’m safe_.

But Nellie knew that even Lula, her wonderful, protective older sister, who had looked out for her throughout her whole life… even she wouldn’t stand a chance against that thing in Nellie’s room. She remembered its huge teeth. They could bite through Lula and tear her apart easily.

Nellie shivered violently.

She sat up and reached for her glass of water, gulping it down. It tasted odd, but she didn’t notice until she’d finished drinking. There was a weird aftertaste… strong… a bit like mouthwash. It felt like it was burning her mouth and her throat. Whatever it was went to Nellie’s head and she felt herself drifting into a deep sleep.

Nellie woke at half six in the morning with a stabbing headache and a cramp in her leg like someone was sitting on it, weighting it down. She threw up all over Lula’s bedroom floor, which thankfully hadn’t been carpeted yet.

Delia came into the room to see what was going on.

“She wasn’t feeling great in the night” Lula explained, holding Nellie’s hair back from her face.

Delia felt Nellie’s temperature. She frowned.

“Why can I smell alcohol?” she asked.

“Alcohol?” Lula asked.

Delia picked up Nellie’s glass of water from the bedside and smelt it.

“Did she drink this?”

“Yeah” Lula replied, confused.

“What is it?”

“Tap water”

“Don’t mess around Lula. Where did you get alcohol from and why the hell would you give it to Nellie?”.

Lula’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t. Mum, I swear. I went and got us water from the kitchen tap in the night. I don’t have any alcohol. You can check my room” Lula’s voice was rising with growing anxiety.

Delia shook her head.

She took hold of Nellie’s hand and took her to the bathroom to clean up.

“I saw Lula get the water Mum” Nellie said weakly. “But it did taste funny”.

Delia didn’t know what to think.


	6. Chapter 6

Lula was confused.

She knew for a fact that she’d gone to the kitchen and got the glasses of water from the tap.

The lights had done that weird thing, where they’d suddenly turned red.

She’d never seen them do that before.

Lula put her head in her hands and breathed out deeply.

This was too weird.

Nellie was at home. Delia had taken the day off work. Lula had gone to college but she wanted to be at home with Nellie.

Nellie had, for sure, the symptoms of a hangover this morning, and Delia was certain that it was alcohol in her glass.

Lula had downed her glass of water before falling asleep, and she hadn’t noticed anything weird. Her best guess was that someone must have come into the room and put alcohol in Nellie’s glass. But Nellie said she didn’t fall asleep for a while, and she’d already noticed the weird taste of the drink before she went to sleep.

So how did that work?

Delia had looked around Lula’s room, with Lula’s permission, and had found nothing.

She’d checked the bins as well.

Not a thing.

Nellie had been really distressed last night, and Lula had never seen her like that.

Could someone have been in the house?

After college, Lula got the bus home. She put in her purple earbuds and listened to The Who, one of her all-time favourite bands.

She got home at half four. Nellie was sleeping on the sofa, and Delia was doing work on her laptop.

“How’s she been?” Lula asked Delia.

“Yeah, she’s ok” Delia nodded.

Lula wasn’t sure how her mum was feeling towards her at the moment. She seemed to have taken Lula and Nellie’s word for it that they had no clue where the alcohol had come from, if that’s what it was.

But Damien would never think of doing something like that.

What about Colton?

 _No_ Lula thought.

Colton could be annoying, and Lula didn’t get on well with him most of the time, but he wasn’t a bad person. He’d never want to do anything to hurt Nellie.

Nellie was feeling better by the weekend. On Saturday the family spent most of the day in the garden. Delia was passionate about gardening and was planting a variety of flowers, arranging stones and putting up fairy lights around the garden. Colton and Damien were helping her, and Lula and Nellie were listening to music and making daisy chains.

Lula made a daisy chain headband for Nellie and took some photos of her in front of the wooden fence. Nellie had plaits in, as usual, and was wearing a pink and white rose patterned dress. Lula made herself a daisy chain headband as well. It was a warm day and she was wearing a black crop top and red and black rose patterned bohemian pants.

The girls took some selfies, the lighting making their green eyes sparkle like emeralds.

The family had a barbeque whilst listening to Wham!’s _Fantastic_ album on Lula’s record player.

On Sunday Lula, Damien and Nellie went to St Bartholomew’s.

They took a seat in the third row from the front, next to Jenny.

The congregation were mostly over the age of seventy, but there were a few young people that Lula had seen at the group on Wednesday, and there were some adults around about the age of Jenny and Archie.

An elderly lady came and sat beside Lula. She was wearing a blue and white floral dress with a dark blue blazer and smart navy brogues. She wore a hat that matched her dress and had curly white hair, and a kind face.

Lula smiled at her and when the lady smiled back, Lula felt a deep sense of peace.

“Hello dear. My name’s Mabel Buxton-Brown. What’s yours?” she had a soft, soothing voice.

“I’m Lula Walters. This is my sister Nellie, and my brother Damien” Lula gestured to her siblings, and then shook Mabel’s hand.

“It’s very nice to meet you. Lula is such a lovely name. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with that name before” Mabel said.

“Thank you. I love your outfit” Lula replied.

Lula herself was wearing a tight knee-length black dress with a rainbow checked suit jacket, and black Dr Martens.

“Oh thank you dear. Your outfit is lovely too. Is this your first time at St Bartholomew’s?”

“We came along to the youth group on Wednesday for the first time. But this is our first time here on a Sunday, and our first time ever going to a church service. We just moved here a few weeks ago from Suffolk. We live just across the road, number 67”

“Ah that’s a very nice house. Are you settling in ok?”

“Yeah we’re doing pretty well thank you. I like it here in Carlisle, and I’m really enjoying sixth form college”.

Lula spoke to Mabel about college for a few minutes, and then the service began. The band was, like the rest of the church, mostly made up of older people, but they played well. They could definitely do with a bit of a boost from an electric guitar though. Some of the songs were very traditional, but then they did a song called _Shine Jesus Shine,_ which some of the younger members of the congregation seemed to really get into.

Lula shrugged off her jacket, revealing her cross tattoo on her arm.

“Oh my, that’s a lovely tattoo” Mabel said, and Lula was surprised.

“Oh thank you”.

“Are you eighteen already?” Mabel asked.

Lula smiled guiltily.

“No. I only turned seventeen a few weeks ago. The place I got it done didn’t even ask me for ID. My mum wasn’t too impressed that I got it done. But I think it looks really nice”.

Mabel tutted jokingly.

“Naughty, naughty. I believe I was much more rebellious as a seventeen-year-old, so I certainly cannot judge”.

Lula laughed.

 _Mabel’s a legend_ she thought to herself.

After the service, Jenny introduced Lula to some of the band members. Damien ran over to the house to get Lula’s electric guitar and she plugged it in. She put the sheet of music in front of her on a stand as she gave some of the worship songs a go.

“You’d be a great addition to our band” the piano player Greg said to her.

Lula smiled.

“What days do you rehearse?”

“Thursday nights, and then we have a run-through just before the service”

“Sounds great”.

Lula took some sheet music to practice the songs at home. She spent the whole afternoon in her room, strumming away and singing. She felt an elation that she’d never felt before when she sang and played these songs, like chills running down the back of her head to her neck.

She sat down on her bed and got the Bible up on her phone. She’d never read any of it. She’d heard a few verses at primary school when she was little, and she knew some of the stories, but that was the full extent of her Bible knowledge. She found the Gospels and began to read.

By the time she went downstairs for dinner, Lula had given her life to Jesus.


	7. Chapter 7

Damien had absolutely adored the youth group at St Bartholomew’s on Wednesday, and the Sunday service was even better.

He felt at home at St Bartholomew’s.

He was starting to feel glad about the move to Carlisle. Moorfield Road was a good school, and he was enjoying his subjects, and now he’d found a church family and was moving towards faith in Jesus.

It was an exciting time, and Damien smiled as he reflected on the past week.

After church on Sunday he’d had a chat with Mabel, the elderly lady who had been sitting next to Lula. She was one of the kindest people Damien had ever had the privilege of meeting. He’d spoken to Archie as well.

Damien was happy that Lula was getting involved in the worship. She’d spent hours in her room after the Sunday service learning the songs.

Colton, sitting in the living room in front of the television, had looked up at the ceiling with a frown.

“What the hell is she doing?” he had asked.

“She’s practising some of the songs from church. The band want her to join” Damien had replied.

Colton rolled his eyes.

“She’s into rock music. How does she think this will be in any way helpful for her?”

“She really enjoyed the service this morning”

“Good for her. But if I wanted to listen to pathetic adoration of an invisible being which there’s no proof in the world for, I’d go along to the damn church”

“You’re very welcome to come along” Damien said simply.

“Thanks for the offer mate, but you know very well what my answer is to that”.

The family sat around the table on Sunday evening for a light dinner of beans on toast.

Lula was positively glowing.

“Your voice is really coming on” Delia said to Lula as she poured her a glass of cold water.

“Thank you” Lula replied.

“Are you going to be singing with the band next Sunday?”

“Yeah hopefully. I’m going to get there at nine to practice”

“I’ll come along then. It’ll be good to see you play as part of a band. The songs sound really nice”.

Colton bit his lip, looking frustrated.

“So you’re _all_ going to be going to church on a Sunday now?” he asked.

“Well the kids seem to have enjoyed it, and I want to support them in that. I’ll give it a go and see how I find it. It might not be something I want to do every week” Delia responded calmly.

“And what am _I_ going to do, eh? Just sit around by myself at home? I work all week and I expect to be able to spend the weekend with my family. But no, you’d all rather be with a bunch of people you didn’t even know a week ago, allowing them to fill your heads with lies and convince you there’s a god up there in the sky who is judging your every move”

“Colton that’s enough” Delia warned, starting to look uncomfortable.

 _Here we go again_ Damien thought.

Colton turned to Lula.

“I’m surprised they’re letting a non-Christian in the band to be honest. Are they aware of the kind of things you’re into? They’re not concerned about you tainting their perfect, holy image?”.

Lula’s eyes lost their spark.

Damien wanted to punch Colton in the face.

“What do you mean by the _‘kind of things I’m into’_?”.

Damien was surprised at how calm Lula was being. She disliked Colton more than Damien did, and she usually didn’t shy away from letting him know that.

“Well, the Tarot Cards, the spellcasting, the astrology, the fact that you like girls. Have you told them about the girlfriends you’ve had? I’m sure they’d have something to say about that”

“I don’t think they’re like that. They’re not judgemental. And in terms of the spiritual stuff I’ve been into, it's because I was searching for something. I knew something was out there and I didn’t know what. Now I know. I’ve decided to become a Christian. I asked Jesus to come into my life”.

Colton laughed slightly.

“Oh really? And what did he say?”

“He said he loves me, and that I’m his daughter”.

Colton’s eyes widened. He looked at Delia.

“You got any spaces available at CAMHS?” he asked Delia. “I think Lula could benefit from a professional to talk to about the voices she’s hearing”.

Lula’s eyes started to well up with tears.

She hardly ever cried.

Normally she’d have defended herself, but Damien could see she was really holding back.

But Damien had had enough.

“Why do you have to be so cruel?” he asked Colton. “You never said a word about her being into other forms of spirituality, so why are you being like this over us deciding we want to go to church?”

“Christianity is _toxic_ , Damien. Lula wasn’t hurting anyone by playing around with cards and checking her horoscope every day. It’s her way of trying to find meaning in the world. I get that. But you’ve gone and dragged this family into believing in something that cannot possibly be true. You’re a logical boy Damien, so I can’t understand what’s gotten into you. And now you’ve got your mum wanting to go along to church with you. We are _atheists_. Your mum and I have always been atheists, and that’s our _right_. When Lula was into all the stuff she was into, she never felt the need to bring us into it. She kept it to herself. But now, after one flipping church service, Lula’s convinced she can hear the voice of god! This is not something I want _any_ part in”

“You don’t need to have any part in it Colton. Like you said, you have the right to be an atheist, but if you’ve got that right then that means the children have the right to believe what they wish to believe. And they have the right to be able to share that with us without criticism and hurtful words” Delia said.

Lula finished her dinner and hurried off upstairs.

Damien finished his too and went after her.

She’d gone to her room.

Damien knocked lightly on her door.

“Lula?”

“Yeah, come in”.

Damien opened the door. Lula was sitting on her bed, her head resting on her hands.

Damien sat beside her.

“I really, really believe in Jesus, Damien” she said. “When I was in church earlier and when I was singing those worship songs this afternoon… I _felt_ something. I felt God’s presence. I’ve never felt anything like that before”

“I felt it too. I believe too” Damien replied.

They sat in silence for a few moments.

“I don’t get what mum sees in Colton” Damien said quietly.

“Me neither” Lula replied. “He’s so hateful”.

Lula stretched and yawned.

“I think I’m going to have an early night” she mumbled.

“Ok” Damien said, starting to get up.

“Can I have a hug?” Lula asked.

“Yeah of course”.

Damien hugged Lula.

“Love you bro” Lula said.

“Love you too” Damien replied.

“I downloaded a Bible app and I’ve been reading the Gospels. They’re so good” Lula said as Damien got up.

She showed him and he nodded and smiled.

“I’ll take a look. See you in the morning”.

He went to his room and got the Bible up on his phone. He read through all of the Gospels, and some of the Book of Acts as well.

By the time he was finished it was ten at night, and he decided it was time to sleep.

Damien prayed before he got into bed, and as he drifted off to sleep he knew for certain in his heart that Jesus existed.


	8. Chapter 8

Lula had gone to sleep early.

She’d been quite upset about everything Colton had said.

She’d been so happy up in her room in the afternoon playing her guitar and singing the worship songs, and Colton had taken that good mood and completely shredded it to pieces.

He did that.

That was the kind of effect he had on people.

Lula had wanted to challenge him so, so much, but she didn’t want to get into a full-blown argument with him. That would just make things worse.

She fell into a deep sleep and had bad dreams.

She awoke groggily at about two in the morning.

She felt something sitting on her feet.

She frowned, rubbing at her eyes.

The room was pitch black so she couldn’t see a thing.

Lula rolled over and felt around for her phone.

When it lit up she saw in a flash out of the corner of her eye a red face with pearly white fangs bigger than Lula’s head and empty eye sockets.

It disappeared instantly.

Lula stared in shock.

It had appeared right where her feet were.

She couldn’t feel any weight on her now.

 _Did I imagine that?_ She asked herself.

She was sure she’d seen it.

She got out of bed and flicked on her bedroom light.

_No. Nothing there._

She went to her bedside and saw the shape of a cross on her duvet, right where she’d seen whatever that thing had been. As she peered at it she could see that, without a doubt, it was blood.

She swallowed.

_No, this can’t be real._

Lula was tired and still half asleep.

_I’m imagining things. I’m probably still dreaming._

She took a deep breath and went to the light and flicked it off.

She turned to get back into bed and walked straight into someone.

She couldn’t see who or what it was in the darkness, but she felt its form.

The figure suddenly shoved her back and Lula felt like she’d just been hit with a sledgehammer.

She was thrown back violently into the wall and she hit it with full force before sliding down and collapsing to the wooden floor.

The floor started violently rumbling like an earthquake was shaking the house.

Lula scrambled to her feet and fell straight back over again.

A sharp pain shot across her left arm and she cried out.

The same pain shot across her right arm and she screamed.

She got to her feet and ran for the door.

As she stepped out into the landing she was pushed again and she landed against the wall before everything tilted and the wall became the floor.

The landing began to spin and quickly the ceiling became the floor.

 _Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP_ Lula screamed at herself in her mind.

Suddenly the spinning stopped and she crashed down to the floor, hitting her head hard against the wall.

Pain was shooting throughout her whole body now.

Lula lay back in a daze. She couldn’t see the figure at all now. But then she could barely see a thing anyway. Her vision was blurring and all of the lights in the house were off.

She turned her head at the sound of doors opening.

Damien hurried out into the landing, switching on the light.

“Lula are you ok?” he asked, getting to her side quickly.

Delia and Colton’s room was upstairs and Lula could hear them coming down.

Nellie’s door opened and she peered out, looking worried.

“Lula, what’s happened?” Delia asked, running over to Lula’s side.

Lula felt liquid drip into her eye.

_Blood._

Her head was bleeding.

_Oh God._

“Colton, phone an ambulance” Delia instructed.

“Lula, can you hear me sweetheart?” Delia asked, looking into Lula’s eyes.

Lula nodded weakly.

“What happened?” Delia asked, checking the wound on Lula’s head.

“I… I don’t know. There… there was this thing… it threw me into the wall, and the landing was spinning”.

Nellie had come out of her room and was looking around anxiously, but she looked directly at Lula when she said that.

Lula met her eye.

Nellie looked terrified.

“Thing, what thing? What do you mean?” Delia asked.

She saw Lula’s arms and gasped.

There were identical burns on each arm in the shape of crosses.

“It was… this dark figure… I couldn’t see it properly, but I felt it. And when I switched my phone on I saw something else… I don’t know if it was the same thing, it had a red face with huge teeth and no eyes…” Lula trailed off as she realised how ridiculous she sounded.

“Lula you must have been dreaming. Did you do this to your arms?”.

Lula hadn’t even seen the burns yet.

“No… no I felt the pain, but I didn’t do it”

“Maybe you were sleepwalking. It did _sound_ like you were being thrown around the place though”.

Delia suddenly looked anxious and checked in Lula’s room in case someone was in there.

When Colton got off the phone he checked the doors and windows to make sure they were all shut.

They were, and there was no way someone could have broken in.

Nellie looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t know how.

“It must have been a nightmare sweetheart” Delia said. “The ambulance will be here soon and we’ll get you checked over. You’ll probably need stitches in your head. I reckon they’re going to be quite concerned at the hospital, especially when they see those burns”

“I can’t have done them to myself. I don’t even have any matches”.

Delia frowned.

“Yeah, I don’t even know if we’ve got any downstairs. Is there anything else you could have burned yourself with? I’m not trying to say you meant to do it, but you could have been sleepwalking”.

“I know I saw something mum. I’m sure it was real”.

“I saw it too” Nellie suddenly said.

The whole family turned to look at her.

“What do you mean Nells?” Delia asked.

“The thing Lula said. The dark figure. It was sitting on my bed. I felt it. And I saw the red face when I switched on my phone too. That’s why I went to her room a few days ago, I was scared. When we went downstairs the lights suddenly turned red. And then my drink tasted funny”

“I felt something sitting on my bed as well. There was blood in the shape of a cross where it had been sitting” Lula said.

If Nellie had seen this thing too then that would mean that everything that just happened had _actually_ happened.

Colton went to check the bed.

“Yeah, there’s blood on it”.

“Check round the house again Colton, please” Delia said, anxiety in her voice.

Lula suddenly felt extremely dizzy and closed her eyes, her head throbbing.

“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for all this” Delia said, but she didn’t sound like she believed her own words.

Lula felt Delia shake her shoulder gently.

“You still with me?”.

Lula tried to answer but she was so, so sleepy.

She was slightly aware of being moved onto a stretcher and being carried down the stairs and out of the house.

She felt the rumbling movements of the ambulance.

Delia was here with her.

Lula was awake, but drowsy, by the time they arrived at the hospital. She had the gash on her head stitched and had a CT scan.

She slept for a while as well.

Delia took the day off work.

Colton had driven Damien and Nellie to school before going to work. They hadn’t wanted to go but Delia was adamant that Colton take them anyway. She was worried about them being home alone all day after the events of last night.

So Lula and Nellie had both seen the same thing?

That ruled out it being a nightmare… right?

But Colton hadn’t found anything, or anyone, in the house.

Delia shook her head, biting her lip, her thoughts racing.

Lula’s eyes were closed but instead of blackness, all she could see was that blood red face.


	9. Chapter 9

Nellie couldn’t focus in class. She was in English and the class were working on _Frankenstein_. Nellie liked reading a fair bit, but she much preferred Jaqueline Wilson books. She wasn’t a fan of horror. Especially not with whatever was going on at home at the moment. Lula was in hospital being checked over, and Nellie was worried about her. She’d been hurt by whatever that thing in the house was. Nellie couldn’t believe Lula had seen it too. That meant that it was real. She couldn’t bear that thought.

She met Damien outside school at the end of the day and they got the bus home. “How are you?” Damien asked Nellie. She shrugged, grimacing a little. “I don’t know. I’m worried about Lula” “I know, me too. She should be home this evening though. I’m sure everything will be alright”. Damien gave Nellie’s hand a squeeze and she nodded, trying to stay calm.

When they got home Damien made them both a cup of green tea. Nellie got changed into pyjama bottoms and a flowery t-shirt. She curled up on the sofa with a blanket. Damien stayed downstairs with her and did some homework. Nellie was scared being at home, and she could tell that her brother was anxious as well. “Damien?”. Damien looked up from his book and met Nellie’s eye. “What do you think that thing could be?” Nellie asked quietly. Damien swallowed. He felt a lump in his throat. “I… I don’t know” “I couldn’t have just dreamed it if Lula saw it too… could I?”. Damien shrugged weakly. “Did you tell Lula about what you saw… I mean, before last night?” he asked. “No”. Damien sighed. “I don’t know how it’s possible you would have dreamed the exact same thing then… you didn’t see something like that in a film or anything?”. Nellie shook her head. She never watched scary films.

Colton got home at five and kicked his shoes off. He sank into his chair, loosened his tie and scrolled through the news on his phone. He was just heading to the fridge to get a cold beer when his phone rang. It was Delia letting him know that Lula was done at the hospital and they were ready to be picked up. “I’m heading to the hospital to pick up mum and Lula. Do you two want to come?” Colton asked Nellie and Damien. They both nodded.

They drove in silence. Colton didn’t listen to music on the radio. Delia would always put an album on if she was driving, or when the family were going on a long journey. Nellie loved music, especially girl bands like the Spice Girls, Sugababes and Girls Aloud, and she adored Harry Styles as well. She loved singing along to music in the car when the family went for a day out. The silence in the car was allowing her thoughts to run wild, and that was the last thing she wanted at the moment.

Delia and Lula were sitting on a metal bench just outside the hospital’s main entrance. They stood up when the car approached. Nellie moved into the middle seat and Lula got in next to her. She looked terrible. Her eyes were wide as if she was in a permanent state of shock and her face was pale. There were bruises on her face, and those burns on her arms in the shape of crosses stood out against her pale skin like blood in snow. Nellie gave Lula a hug and she barely responded. Damien reached over and squeezed her hand. She smiled briefly but her eyes didn’t change. They were glazed over and almost unblinking. Nellie watched her sister gaze out of the window lifelessly as they drove home. She heard her mum and Colton talking about what the hospital had said. They’d had to contact Social Services due to the nature of Lula’s injuries. Lula was adamant she hadn’t hurt herself, but neither she nor Delia had said a word about the thing in the house. Delia didn’t really believe it. How could she? And Lula knew she’d sound insane if she started telling the doctors that she’d seen a red being with giant fangs and empty eye sockets, and that something had thrown her into the wall and caused the landing to start spinning. They’d send her to CAMHS, or worse. Maybe Colton was right, Lula thought… perhaps she was really losing it. Maybe it wasn’t God who’d spoken to her yesterday afternoon… maybe it was just a hallucination. She hadn’t heard an audible voice as such. It was more like a feeling. She’d felt the love of God, and felt his presence, and she just _knew_ that she was a child of God. Now she didn’t know what to think. But no… no… it couldn’t have just been a hallucination if Nellie saw the exact same thing. This _had_ to be real.

When the family got in they had a light dinner of sandwiches and crisps. Colton got his beer from the fridge and sat in his armchair. Delia poured herself a glass of white wine and sat in her chair next to him. The children sat together on the large sofa in front of the television. Lula still seemed pretty out of it. Delia kept biting her lip as she tried to work out the best way to start a conversation with her family regarding what had happened over the last few days. There was clearly something very wrong, something that was affecting both Lula and Nellie, and even as a Clinical Psychologist she was struggling to work out the best way to approach this situation. She breathed in deeply. “We… we need to have a talk, all of us…” Delia began. “We need to get to the bottom of whatever’s been going on this week. Sooner or later we’re going to get a visit from Social Services, which is pretty scary and not something I expected us to ever have to deal with… but the hospital were understandably concerned about Lula, and they want to make sure she’s safe”. Lula didn’t make eye contact with her mother. She was staring off into space. “Nellie, I need to know exactly what happened on Thursday morning”. Nellie shivered as she thought back. She didn’t want to remember what had happened, but she didn’t have a choice. “I woke up from a nightmare and I felt something sitting beside me. When I was curled up I could feel it right there. It was solid, like it was a real person. Then I switched on my phone and I saw this face… it was bright red and angry with huge teeth. Then it disappeared. I got up and went to Lula’s room and then we went downstairs to get water and while we were in the kitchen, the lights just suddenly turned red, like a blinding red. Then when I was trying to sleep I had a drink of water and it tasted funny, and then I got sick” Nellie said slowly. Delia looked down at the carpet, deep in thought. She couldn’t make sense of this. “Why didn’t you tell me about this at the time?” Delia asked Lula and Nellie. “I didn’t think it could be real. But what I saw is _exactly_ what Lula said” Nellie replied. “And this isn’t something you saw in a movie or on TV, or something you’ve been reading about?” Delia asked. Lula and Nellie both shook their heads. Damien was relieved to see Lula finally responding. He was incredibly concerned about her. “This has only been happening since you went to that stupid church” Colton chimed in. The family turned to look at him, not at all in the mood for his remarks at the moment. “Well, I’m not wrong am I?” Colton said defensively. “I mean, Lula’s got burns in the shape of crosses on her arms, for God’s sake. And blood in the shape of a cross on her duvet. Are we really just going to believe there’s no connection there?”.

Damien winced as he realised his stepfather had a point.


	10. Chapter 10

It was Wednesday afternoon, and Jenny Notley was looking forward to the end of the school day. She just had her Year Eleven Religious Studies class to teach, and that was her favourite class. They were always engaged and fun to teach. They asked questions and had lively debates and, unlike some of her other classes, they were respectful and good listeners. Jenny loved her classroom as well. She used this classroom for all of her Religious Studies classes, and the department office, where she dunked Rich Tea biscuits in a cuppa, was just down the corridor. She was currently covering a Media Studies teacher’s Year Eleven form whilst she was off on maternity leave. A supply teacher was taking the actual Media Studies classes, but the school wanted the Year Eleven’s to have a familiar face in what was the most challenging year of their studies. Jenny loved the form room class. She’d sometimes bring in homemade rainbow cookies and brownies for the class to snack on as they spent half an hour doing revision sessions, discussing topical issues and often just chatting and listening to music before lessons started.

Jenny shrugged off her dark green blazer and leant against a large window in the classroom, looking out over the playing fields. It was a bright day, and relatively warm, despite it being October. She was wearing a floral dress, with her long hair tied back into a ponytail with a small emerald green silk bow. She looked a picture, standing there in front of the window with the sun highlighting her freckles.

The bell rang and Jenny took her seat behind her desk, waiting for the swarm of teenagers. The class went very well. The topic today and over the past few lessons was Christian Attitudes to Crime and Punishment. Jenny quite enjoyed this topic, and it sparked a lot of conversations and friendly debates amongst the class. Damien Walters had been particularly good in his first few weeks at Moorfield Road at constructing and presenting arguments. His written work was outstanding, and Jenny knew he’d be one of the highest achieving students in the GCSE examinations. She was looking forward to teaching him at A-Level. Jenny preferred teaching A-Level Religious Studies to GCSE and Key Stage 3 Religious Studies, simply because it was so much more complex and detailed. She loved few things more than reading through student’s A-Level essays at the end of a long day, a cup of tea in hand. She never got bored in her job. She absolutely adored teaching.

Damien seemed out of sorts today. He hadn’t said a word, which was unusual for him. He was a pretty shy lad, but he’d begun to come out of his shell and always had something insightful to offer. Today he seemed distracted, and tired. His gaze kept drifting towards the window, where he stared out vacantly. Jenny didn’t know whether to be concerned. _He could just be having one of those days_ she thought.

At the end of the day she went to his side. “Can we have a quick chat?” she asked. Damien looked anxious. “Nothing to worry about” Jenny added gently. Once everyone was out of the room, Jenny sat herself down on a desk and Damien followed suit. “Is everything ok?” Jenny asked. Damien nodded. “I’m fine Miss”. He didn’t look fine. At all. “Are you coming along to the group tonight?”. “I’m not sure Miss. My stepdad doesn’t think we should keep going, and I’m not sure how my Mum’s feeling about it either” “Oh really? Do you know why?”. Damien took a shuddery breath. “Last Wednesday, after we went to the group, Nellie saw something in the middle of the night. Some sort of figure… like a spirit or something, I guess. She didn’t say anything at first because she thought she was dreaming. But then on Sunday night, Lula saw the same thing. She was hurt. She said she’d been thrown against the wall, and her head was gashed. She had to go to A and E, and she also had these burn marks on her arms…” Damien trailed off. Jenny felt a lump in her throat. “The burns were in the shape of crosses” Damien murmured. Jenny didn’t know how to respond. Damien continued “At A and E, they said they’d have to contact Social Services. I don’t know if we’re going to have someone come round or what. But they were concerned about Lula. She’s sure she didn’t do anything to hurt herself. She’s sure that she really saw something in the house, and Nellie’s sure as well. I… I don’t know what to think”. “What do your parents think?” Jenny asked softly. “Mum doesn’t know what to think” Damien replied. “And my stepdad… he thinks the church has corrupted us or something. He said so many horrible things to Lula about her joining the band”. Damien looked unsteady and Jenny reached out a hand to stop him from toppling over. “Are you alright?” Jenny asked worriedly. “Yeah… yeah, I just haven’t been able to sleep properly the last few nights”. Damien met Jenny’s eye and saw her concern. “I’m fine, honestly Miss. I just need a bit of sleep”. “How are you getting home?” Jenny asked. “Mum’s picking me up. She’s parked on Larkspur Road” “I’ll walk you to the car. Are you sure you’re ok?”. Damien nodded. “I’ll be fine Miss, I promise”. 

Jenny and Damien walked slowly out of the school grounds and over to Larkspur Road. Jenny noted that Damien was shaking slightly. She wanted to put a hand on his shoulder but she didn’t know if it would be appropriate to do that. He really did look tired. His chestnut brown hair was hanging over his eyes, his shoulders were hunched and his eyes were drooping. Jenny thought hard about what she was going to do. The Walters’ had no clue that there was a genuine spirit in their home. This was a spirit that had driven Stephen McCuaig insane. He had nearly _killed people._ And now Lula had been hurt. Lula and Nellie had both seen this thing. She had to tell Archie. But what the hell were they going to do? Although Jenny believed in the supernatural, she hadn’t really expected the Walters’ to have any trouble. They were potentially in a lot of danger. “That’s my mum just there” Damien said, interrupting Jenny’s thoughts, nodding towards a silver Land Rover. “Ok, you take care, alright?” Jenny replied. Damien nodded, smiled weakly, and then hurried across to the car, getting in the front beside his Mum. Jenny could just about see Nellie in the back, who waved to her. She waved back, trying to relax her face and not show how worried she was.

Jenny got into her own car once she’d finished up at work. It was a red Mini. She put on her _Rio_ album by Duran Duran to distract her as she drove over to Archie’s house. She guessed he’d be home right now, having dinner before heading to church to get set up for the young people’s group.

 _What am I going to tell him?_ Jenny wondered.


	11. Chapter 11

Archie Ingram was lounging on the sofa, stuffing his face with Cheese Tasters from Marks and Spencer’s. They were his addiction. He was watching episodes of _Friends_ on Netflix. It was one of his favourite shows. It was half five so he had a whole hour until he had to go over to St Bartholomew’s to get everything set up for the group. _A whole hour._ Bliss.

And then the doorbell rang. Archie frowned, sitting himself up. He wasn’t expecting anybody. He slowly got up and went to the door. He looked through the spy hole and saw Jenny looking very uneasy. He opened the door. “Heya” he said. “Hey Arch… Am I ok to come in?” “Yeah, yeah, of course love” Archie stepped aside to let Jenny in and closed the front door behind them. They went into the living room and Archie hurriedly moved his snack wrappers and crisp packets off of the sofa. Jenny was his best friend but, all the same, he didn’t like her to see the mess that he really was. “How are you?” Archie asked as they sat down. He was anxious to know what was up. Jenny was usually all smiles and positivity. Right now she was biting her lip and there were lines on her forehead. Something significant must have happened. “What’s wrong honey?” Archie asked, squeezing Jenny’s arm gently. She took a deep breath in. “Arch, it’s the Walters’. They’re in trouble”. Archie’s eyes widened. He didn’t speak for a few moments, and then “Ok, tell me everything”.

Jenny told Archie everything Damien had said. Archie couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What do you think we should do?” Jenny asked. “I don’t have a clue” Archie replied. “I’m going to have to give Reverend McCluskey a call, see what he says. It sounds a bit different to what the McCuaig’s experienced. I don’t think the spirit ever physically hurt them”. Archie put his head in his hands, sighing. “Let’s see if they come along tonight. If they do, I’ll have a chat with them. There’s no way I can just go over to the house and suggest the house is haunted. If the rest of the family see the spirit as well then maybe they’ll believe it. But right now, we risk driving them away if we tell them the truth. They do have the right to know though… Either way, this is a mess. I tell them now and they’re likely to think I’m insane. If I leave it, then I’m worried that someone will get hurt... I mean, Lula’s already been hurt, it’s clear that whatever this is can do damage. If I don’t say anything and something happens, I don’t think I could ever forgive myself” Archie said. “I’m going to phone Reverend McCluskey right now. I’ve got his number saved” he decided. “Good idea” Jenny said. Archie got up and scrolled through his phone, looking for Reverend McCluskey’s number. He found it and dialled, pacing the room. “Hello?” the Irish voice answered, and Archie felt a wave of relief. “Heya mate, it’s Archie from St Bartholomew’s… I… um… I’ve got a bit of a problem” he began, not sure where to start with this conversation. “What’s been going on?” Reverend McCluskey asked gently. Archie relayed the information he had been given. Jenny was at his side, reminding him of everything. “Ok” Reverend McCluskey said and then paused to think. “It’s such a difficult situation. When this happened here I had the same problem of trying to work out the right way to approach the situation. People were getting hurt but I had no proof at first that there was something supernatural going on, it was all just suspicion. And even when I saw the proof right in front of me, it’s still not something that the police or emergency services are going to believe or understand. Stephen McCuaig is currently sectioned. Only his parents, Gavin and a few of us here at St Brendan’s believe he really saw a spirit. He can’t get the right help to deal with what he went through for years because what he saw has been put down to a hallucination. It’s not fair, but it’s how it is” “What do you recommend I do?” Archie asked, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt. “If the children are at the group tonight, have a chat with them, but be careful with what you say. Get a group together of people from the church who understand about this kind of thing. You’ve got a friend with you now, right?” “Yes” “And she knows about everything that’s going on?” “Yeah” “Pray with her. How’s things with your father?”. Archie swallowed thickly as his grief started to rise. He’d forgotten about his grief for a few minutes whilst he’d been distracted by the current situation, and now it was here again, jabbing at him like a needle. “He passed away” “I’m so sorry to hear that” “I spoke to him about the situation just a few days before he died. Most of the people who prayed over the house before are still around. I’ll talk to them” “Yes, do that. Get a group together and take some time to pray over the house” “If the Walters’ work out that there’s a real spirit in the house, and they actually ask for my help… will you be able to come over here and… I don’t know, give me some direction? I don’t have a clue what I’m dealing with” “Yes of course I will” “Thank you mate. I’m so grateful for your help” “You’re very welcome. Let me know if anything else happens. You can call at any time, day or night” “Thanks mate”.

Archie felt a bit better now. At least he had someone to support him who had experience of this kind of thing. It still felt pretty unbelievable. Archie wondered for a split second if he was on some kind of prank show, but then who in the world would want to prank _him?_ Archie smirked at the thought, shaking his head. He was just a boring church Minister in a small city with hardly any friends and nothing remotely interesting about him.

Archie and Jenny went over to St Bartholomew’s to get set up. Just after seven, the Walters’ arrived. Their mum came in with them and Archie went to meet her. “Hello, I’m Delia Walters” she said, shaking Archie’s hand. “Heya” Archie replied. “I just wanted to have a quick chat, is that ok?” Delia asked. Archie nodded. “Yeah, yeah sure”. Archie noted that Lula, Damien and Nellie looked very run down. Delia wasn’t looking too great either, but Archie had never seen her properly before so he didn’t know how she usually looked. They went and took a seat in Archie’s office.

Delia told Archie everything Lula and Nellie had said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with them” Delia said, shaking her head. “I’m a Clinical Psychologist, I should have _some_ idea. I just need to know… is there anything that was spoken about at this group or on Sunday that could have put some sort of idea in their heads?”. Archie shook his head. “No… no there’s nothing I can think of”. Delia sighed. “My husband thinks we need to stay far away from church… but the kids seem so happy about getting involved here. Lula really wants to join the band and she was up in her room playing worship songs for _hours_ on Sunday. I don’t want to stop them from exploring faith… but this situation is just… I mean, we’ve potentially got a _social worker_ turning up at any time. We’ve got nothing to hide, but we haven’t got any idea what’s wrong with the girls. Damien says he hasn’t seen anything or had any nightmares… but even _he’s_ not himself. I feel like… like they’re kind of spacing out… like they’re scared of something but… I don’t know what. They don’t get on with their stepfather too well, and I know that. But I don’t think it’s a huge deal for them or anything. I don’t know if that would be what’s causing all this. He did say some things that I really wish he hadn’t said”. Archie nodded in understanding. “I’ll keep an eye on them. I can try and chat to them about what’s been going on, if you’re ok with that?”. Delia nodded. “Yeah… yeah if you can” Yeah, course” “Thank you”. Delia smiled weakly and Archie walked her out. Then he turned and headed to the youth room, praying that he could help this family in any way he possibly could.


	12. Chapter 12

Nellie sat herself down on a large yellow beanbag and wriggled around until she was comfortable. She picked up a console and switched on the Wii, loading up Mario Kart. Nellie adored Wii games, especially Mario and The Legend of Zelda. Last week she’d played a few games with some of the boys around about her age, but they were playing pool at the moment so she was on her own. She didn’t mind. She often played on the Wii on her own at home. Lula and Damien had never been particularly into games, though the whole family did occasionally play Wii Party or Wii Sports.

Archie came and sat on a blue beanbag beside her. “Hello” Nellie said, grinning. “Heya” Archie replied. “Do you want to play?” Nellie asked kindly. “Yeah please”. Nellie handed Archie a console and they began their game. “I’m terrible at games by the way” Archie said, and Nellie could tell already. “What do you do for fun?” Nellie asked. Archie wondered if he should make something up, but he didn’t have enough of an imagination to do that. “Not a lot” he laughed. “I watch TV. _Friends_ mostly, and the _Big Bang Theory, Gavin and Stacey, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, Father Ted, Miranda_ … I watch a _lot_ of TV” Archie said, the realisation that he had literally no life dawning on him. “I love Friends. Who’s your favourite character?” “Ooh, good question. I’m going to have to go with Ross, what about you?” “Phoebe, definitely” “Have you got a favourite film?” “Yeah, Trolls. What about you?” “I _love_ Adam Sandler, so pretty much anything he’s in. Blended is really good” “Oh yeah, we watched that recently. Usually in our house we just have boring things on TV like the News. My stepdad loves the News and all the political stuff. I don’t really like it though” “Aw. Do you get on with your stepdad?” “A bit. Lula and Damien don’t like him that much, but I kind of like everyone. I don’t like it when people are mean to each other though, and sometimes Colton can be a bit mean”. Archie was trying to be careful with what he said. He didn’t want to make it seem like he was interrogating Nellie for information, but Delia _had_ given him permission to chat to the kids. He just needed to go about it in the right way. “He said loads of mean things to Lula about her joining the band” Nellie continued. “Aw, really? Like what?” Archie asked. “Well he said that he’s surprised the band want her, because… I don’t know if she’d want me saying” “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t feel comfortable with sharing… or that you think Lula won’t want you sharing” “You won’t tell anyone if I do tell you?” “As long as you’re all safe, then sure, it’ll stay between you and me” “Well Lula likes girls. She’s a lesbian and she’s had a few girlfriends. And Colton said the band wouldn’t want her if they knew that. And she’s into like astrology and all that kind of thing. But she said she’s become a Christian and that she asked Jesus to come into her life and Jesus responded and said he loved her, and then Colton started saying she needs to go to CAMHS because she’s hearing voices. My mum works at CAMHS, and she didn’t like Colton saying that. They’ve been arguing a bit about everything. Colton doesn’t want us to go to church, and he’s even more mad about us going now because he thinks Lula and I are going insane”. Archie tried to look slightly surprised. “Why does he think that?” “Well, I had this nightmare last Wednesday, or at least I _thought_ it was a nightmare. But then Lula and I went downstairs to get some water, because I was scared so I went to sleep in her room, and then the lights just turned red randomly, and they haven’t done that before. It was so scary. Then my drink tasted really odd, and I fell asleep and didn’t wake up again till the morning, and then I kept being sick. Mum thought there was alcohol in the water, but we don’t know where it came from. Then on Sunday, Lula was hurt and she had to go to hospital. She says she saw this thing with a red face and big teeth, and that’s what I saw on Wednesday night. And she said this dark figure threw her into the wall-” Nellie’s voice was starting to rise with fear and Archie was worried she was going to go into a panic. “There were burns that looked like crosses on Lula’s arms and there was blood in the shape of a cross on her duvet. So Colton thinks coming to church has made us ill. I don’t know if mum thinks the same. I don’t _feel_ ill. But I am really scared” Nellie’s voice hitched and she started hyperventilating. _Oh no_ Archie thought, trying to rack his brains for something he could do to help. “Nellie, just… just breathe ok?” he lightly squeezed her arm. He was about to tell her that she didn’t need to be afraid, but that wasn’t really true. He couldn’t tell her that what she’d seen wasn’t real, because he knew it was. _Oh God, oh God, what do I say?_ “Nellie, why don’t we pray about it, eh?”. Nellie looked up and met Archie’s eye. “Ok” she replied weakly. She took hold of Archie’s hand, and she wasn’t really sure _why_ she’d done that but it helped her feel grounded. Archie squeezed her hand gently. He closed his eyes and bowed his head and Nellie followed suit. “Lord, please be with us right now. You have the power over everything on earth. You have power over all of the things we are afraid of, and you can help us when we’re scared. Right now Lord, Nellie is afraid of what she saw in the house. She doesn’t know what it is, or if it was real, but Lord you know everything, and Lord I pray that you will take this thing away. I pray that you will keep Nellie, Lula, Damien, Delia and Colton safe, and that you will show your love for them. I pray this in Jesus name” “Please Jesus” Nellie said, her voice weak. Archie gave her hand another squeeze. “Please Jesus” Archie echoed. He didn’t speak for a few moments, just begging inside his mind for God to hear his prayer, to protect the Walters’ from any harm. _Please. Please. Please._ “Amen” he said. “Amen” Nellie echoed. Archie opened his eyes. Nellie looked better. She was breathing normally now and she looked happier. “Thank you Archie” she said. “No problem” Archie replied.

Nellie went home that evening with a sense of peace in her heart. She was still a bit scared, and she still didn’t know what to think about what she’d seen, but she also felt a wave of calm washing over her. Before bed, she prayed again. “I think I want to be a Christian” she whispered, looking up at the ceiling as if God was up there looking down on her. _I love you._ She felt those words like they’d been spoken in her ear, though she hadn’t heard an audible voice. She knew it was Jesus. Nellie grinned.

She _definitely_ wanted to be a Christian.


	13. Chapter 13

On Friday evening, Archie got a group together to meet at the church. The group consisted of Jenny, Mabel Buxton-Brown, an elderly couple named Timothy and Annetta Collinson, and Gregory Acton, the middle-aged piano player in the church band who also taught music at one of the local high schools. Archie had already mentioned some of the situation to them, and of course Jenny knew everything. Mabel, Timothy, Annetta and Gregory had all gone over to Number 67 ten years ago to pray over the house. They had all seen the spirit. They all knew it was undeniably real.

Archie had called them all together to pray over the house. They were going to pray for two consecutive hours without stopping. That was the best thing Archie could think of doing at the moment. If anything else happened, he would call Reverend McCluskey straight away and get him to come over and help. Part of him wanted to prove he could manage this situation himself, but he knew that realistically he stood no chance on his own against whatever was in the house. With this group around him, and the power of prayer, hopefully they could succeed at driving the spirit out of the house and sending it to wherever it belonged. _Hopefully._

The group went into the office. They sat in a circle next to a window that looked out over the street. Number 67 was directly opposite and they had a clear view of the house. It was dark outside, and the streetlamp in front of the house glowed brightly. All of the lights in the house were on. It had just started raining and the light illuminated the shimmering trickle of water droplets. It was beautiful. But right now no one in the room had the time to stop and appreciate it. They had a much more important task at hand. For two hours they took it in turns to pray out loud. Whilst one member of the group was praying, another would be finding a passage of the Bible to read.

Greg read out Psalm 27. _“_ _The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid. When evil people attack me and try to kill me, they stumble and fall. Even if a whole army surrounds me, I will not be afraid; even if enemies attack me, I will still trust God. I have asked the Lord for one thing; one thing only do I want: to live in the Lord's house all my life, to marvel there at his goodness, and to ask for his guidance. In times of trouble he will shelter me; he will keep me safe in his Temple and make me secure on a high rock. So I will triumph over my enemies around me. With shouts of joy I will offer sacrifices in his Temple; I will sing, I will praise the Lord. Hear me, Lord, when I call to you! Be merciful and answer me! When you said, "Come worship me," I answered, "I will come, Lord." Don't hide yourself from me! Don't be angry with me; don't turn your servant away. You have been my help; don't leave me, don't abandon me, O God, my saviour. My father and mother may abandon me, but the Lord will take care of me. Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do, and lead me along a safe path, because I have many enemies. Don't abandon me to my enemies, who attack me with lies and threats. I know that I will live to see the Lord's goodness in this present life. Trust in the Lord. Have faith, do not despair. Trust in the Lord”._

Annetta read out Psalm 34. **_“ I_** _will always thank the Lord; I will never stop praising him. I will praise him for what he has done; may all who are oppressed listen and be glad! Proclaim with me the Lord's greatness; let us praise his name together! I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me; he freed me from all my fears. The oppressed look to him and are glad; they will never be disappointed. The helpless call to him, and he answers; he saves them from all their troubles. His angel guards those who honour the Lord and rescues them from danger. Find out for yourself how good the Lord is. Happy are those who find safety with him. Honour the Lord, all his people; those who obey him have all they need. Even lions go hungry for lack of food, but those who obey the Lord lack nothing good. Come, my young friends, and listen to me, and I will teach you to honour the Lord. Would you like to enjoy life? Do you want long life and happiness? Then keep from speaking evil and from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good; strive for peace with all your heart. The Lord watches over the righteous and listens to their cries; but he opposes those who do evil, so that when they die, they are soon forgotten. The righteous call to the Lord, and he listens; he rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope. Good people suffer many troubles, but the Lord saves them from them all; the Lord preserves them completely; not one of their bones is broken. Evil will kill the wicked; those who hate the righteous will be punished. The Lord will save his people; those who go to him for protection will be spared”._

“Lord, we ask that you protect Delia, Colton, Lula, Damien and Nellie Walters from the spirit” Archie began. He took a deep breath. He remembered Reverend McCluskey had said that Stephen had referred to the spirit as _Alcatza._ The spirit had only revealed his name to Stephen. Was that for a reason? Was it safe to speak his name? That was one thing he hadn’t even shared with Jenny. It was only him, over here in Carlisle, who knew that name. He decided it would be safest to keep it to himself. “Lord, please drive this spirit out of Number 67. Show your love to this family and protect them against all evil. Lord we pray this in your name. In Jesus’ name. We love you Lord and we thank you for your protection”. In his mind, Archie repeated over and over _Lord, drive out Alcatza. Drive him out Lord. Drive out Alcatza._

Archie’s throat was sore by the time they’d all finished praying. He’d never prayed for that long before. But it was worth it, he was sure. It had to have made some difference. It _had_ to. “Are we going to do this again?” Greg asked. “Yes… yes, definitely. Let’s see how things go the rest of this week. I told Nellie on Wednesday evening to let me know if anything else happens. I gave Delia my number as well. We’ll check in on them on Sunday, if they’re at the service. You’re expecting Lula in the band, right?” “Yes, she was at rehearsals last night” “We’ll check in and if anything else has happened then we’ll pray again after the service. In fact, maybe we can just pray again anyway. Let’s meet again on Sunday. I’ll buy lunch for us all and we’ll do two hours like tonight. How does that sound?”. Everyone nodded. “Thanks guys” Archie said.

Jenny drove Archie home. It was still raining and Archie listened to the patter of rain on the car windows. It was lulling him to sleep. He felt a lot more relaxed now. He felt like everything was going to be ok. But he also had an inkling that they definitely weren’t done yet… that they were going to have to fight a lot harder to drive out Alcatza and protect the Walters’.

The car pulled up outside Archie’s block. “Thanks for everything Jen” Archie said, leaning over to kiss Jenny’s cheek. “It’s no problem Arch” Jenny replied, hugging him. They pulled back out of the embrace but kept their hands on each other’s shoulders for a few moments. There was a sudden awkwardness between them that they’d never felt before. On impulse, Archie suddenly kissed Jenny, and she kissed him back. Archie smiled, amazed that he’d just done that. But it had felt right… so right. Jenny smiled too. “Goodnight Jen” Archie said softly, squeezing her shoulder and getting out of the car. “Night Arch” Jenny replied. They were both grinning like schoolchildren. Archie waved goodbye to Jenny and then went inside.


	14. Chapter 14

Lula woke up at seven on Sunday morning. She felt alert and ready to start the day, which was good. She hadn’t been feeling great over the past week. She’d taken a few days off of college whilst she recovered from what had happened early Monday morning. She still didn’t know exactly _what_ had happened. It had terrified her and she couldn’t understand it. She’d felt completely out of it all day Monday and Tuesday. She’d spent pretty much the whole day in bed on Wednesday and her thoughts were running wild. She had so many questions and no one to answer them. She prayed, and that helped her to feel better, but it didn’t give her any answers. She just had to trust in God, and that was difficult considering she’d only just stepped into this new world of faith. This was all new to her.

On Wednesday evening, Lula had gotten tired of her thoughts and her questions, and she’d decided to go to the young people’s group. Damien hadn’t been feeling great at school but he wanted to go as well, and so did Nellie. Delia agreed to them going, so long as she could have a quick word with Archie. Lula didn’t know what she’d said to him. She’d seen Archie chatting to Nellie whilst they played a game on the Wii. Jenny had come over to talk to Lula and had asked how she was. Lula knew that Damien had had a bit of chat with Jenny at school and had mentioned Lula’s trip to A and E, but she really didn’t want to talk about it. She’d come to the group as a distraction from the thoughts and questions that had been whirring around in her head. Jenny didn’t pry, which Lula was grateful for.

Lula had gone back to college on Thursday, and then in the evening she’d gone to band rehearsals at the church. Greg, the piano player, seem to be observing her intently. It wasn’t in a weird way, but he seemed concerned, and Lula had a sense that he knew something about what had been going on. Perhaps Delia had told Archie about everything, and he’d told everyone in the church. They’d all be looking at her now as if she was a freak. Or more likely, Lula realised, Greg was simply listening to her play the guitar and was paying attention to make sure she was doing it right, considering this _was_ her first time rehearsing with them. That was much more likely. Lula shook her head at herself for being so silly.

At the end of the rehearsal Lula had a cup of tea with Bourbon biscuits. She dunked the biscuits into her tea and melted chocolate dripped down her t-shirt. “Damn” she muttered. Greg handed her a napkin. “Thanks” Lula blushed, dabbing at herself. “How’d you find tonight?” Greg asked. “Yeah, it was great” Lula replied. “I’m looking forward to Sunday”. Greg nodded. “That’s good. You did really well” “Cheers”. Greg _definitely_ looked concerned. Lula was sure it wasn’t just her imagination. Maybe he was concerned that Lula was joining the band when she’d never even been to church before last week. _That_ would make sense. Maybe Delia had told Archie that Lula was a lesbian, and he’d told everyone, and now the band were debating behind her back as to whether they should allow a lesbian in a worship band. _No_ Lula thought, shaking her head slightly. Delia wouldn’t have mentioned that. What reason would she have to mention that? “You ok?” Greg asked gently, pulling Lula out of her thoughts. Lula nodded, trying to give a convincing smile. “Yeah, yeah I’m all good. I think I’m going to get going now”. She went to the stage, picked up her guitar and headed towards the doors. “See you Sunday” Greg and the other band members called to her. “Yeah” Lula smiled, turning to wave before she headed across the street.

Friday and Saturday had been okay. Lula went to college on Friday for her last day before the October half term, and then spent Saturday practicing the worship songs for Sunday. On Saturday evening, the family ordered in pizza from Papa John’s and they played a few Wii games and watched Lilo and Stitch. Everything seemed to be alright. Lula felt happier and her worry about what had happened at the beginning of the week was beginning to dissipate. Nellie and Damien seemed more like themselves, and Delia was looking less concerned about them all. Even Colton was in a good mood. He didn’t mention anything about church, didn’t make any slighting comments. There was a sense of calm in the household that was unusual, but very welcome.

On Sunday morning, Lula decided to go for a run before church. She _never_ went for a run, but it was a nice Autumn morning and the birds were chirping in the tree outside Lula’s window. She opened up the curtains and the sun was bright in the sky above St Bartholomew’s. Lula grinned, and pulled on her Electrothreads leggings patterned with glowing orange suns, shimmering silver moons and constellations, and a dark orange sports bra. She tied her hair into a ponytail and went downstairs. She made herself a banana, strawberry and kiwi smoothie, and had a bowl of Cheerios. She plugged her headphones into her phone and grabbed one of Damien’s jackets from the coat peg. Lula didn’t have any jackets she could run in comfortably, and it was a bit chilly out. She didn’t reckon Damien would mind her borrowing his jacket for half an hour. Lula put her headphones in and found her _Sweet_ playlist. Sweet was one of her favourite bands, and her favourite songs by them were _Ballroom Blitz, Teenage Rampage and Wig Wam Bam._ She jogged to the park where she did a few laps around the lake. There were swans gliding across the water and pigeons flapping in the trees. Lula took in the beauty of the nature around her. She was looking forward to the Spring, when everything would be in bloom and there would be baby pink blossom in the trees. But Autumn was beautiful too. There were conkers lying on the path and Lula picked a few up and put them in Damien’s jacket pocket.

Lula got home just before eight and changed into studded blue jeans, a black shirt, and her rainbow checked suit jacket, with silver studded Dr Marten’s shoes. She nearly always had her hair tied in a ponytail but she let it down today. She put on a bit of gold eyeshadow and did cat-eye eyeliner. She picked up her guitar, which was bright red and patterned with black roses, and she looked at herself in her full-length mirror. She felt confident and happy. Today was going to be a good day.

Lula went over to the church just before nine to rehearse with the band before the service, which started at ten. Delia came along to church with Damien and Nellie, and the service was incredible. The band played _Amazing Grace, Hosanna, 10,000 Reasons, In Christ Alone_ and _Reckless Love._ Lula couldn’t believe she’d gone seventeen years of her life without listening to this beautiful music. She’d never thought she’d be into worship music as it was so different to what she usually listened to, but these songs were amazing.

After the service, Delia gave Lula a big hug. “You did so well honey” she said. “Thanks Mum” Lula replied. They stayed at church for a while, chatting and getting to know people. Archie and Delia chatted, and Lula felt the worry creeping in again that they might be talking about her, but she pushed it down. It had been a great service and she didn’t want her silly thoughts to bring her down from the high she was feeling right now. She chatted to Greg, who looked less concerned today. She chatted to Jenny and Mabel as well, and some of the young adults. Lula realised just how safe she felt here at church. She had a sense that she belonged here at St Bartholomew’s, and it was a really good feeling.

The Walters’ went home in a great mood. It was as if all of their worries had been washed away, even if temporarily. Colton had prepared them all a Sunday Roast and they all tucked in eagerly. Colton asked about the service and, for once, he didn’t make any negative comments. He seemed genuinely interested and listened without getting het up. “I think I’m going to go along next week. I haven’t decided if it’s something I want to do every week, but it really was lovely. And Lula did so well in the band. You should come along Colton. The people are so nice, I’m sure you’d like them” Delia said. Lula noticed the tension in Colton’s eyes but he was reining it in.

“Maybe” Colton said softly.


	15. Chapter 15

Archie lay on the sofa in his boxers and old socks, a beer in his hand that he’d been sipping on for about an hour. It was Sunday evening, and he’d had a long, but pretty good day. The Walters’ had seemed absolutely fine at church earlier. Lula had done really well in the band, and it had been great to see Delia come along to church as well. He’d chatted to Delia and she said that nothing out of the ordinary had happened since they’d last spoken. The kids seemed in a much better mood and, so far, no one from social services had turned up. The kids definitely looked a lot better than they had on Wednesday.

Archie, Jenny, Mabel, Greg, Timothy and Annetta had met together again after the service. They’d had a lunch of Marks and Spencer’s sandwiches, crisps and Jenny’s homemade cookies and brownies, before they started their two hours of prayer. It had gone well, and Archie had gone home in the late afternoon, feeling content. He’d cracked open a beer, ordered in a Chinese and put on the television. He was dozing off to an episode of _Everybody Loves Raymond_ when his mobile rang. He groaned and fumbled around for his phone, finding it down one of the cracks between the sofa cushions. It was Reverend McCluskey. “Hello?” Archie answered the phone, stifling a yawn. “Hello. It’s just Cal from St Brendan’s. I just wanted to check how everything’s going?” “Yeah, everything seems fine thanks. The kids came along to the group on Wednesday evening and I chatted to the younger girl, Nellie. She told me everything that had been going on and she was quite distressed, and we prayed about it. My friend spoke to Lula, the older daughter, but she wasn’t so talkative. I got a group together on Friday evening to pray for two hours at the church. It was me, my friend Jenny, and four members of the church who prayed over the house ten years ago. The kids and their mum, Delia, were all at the service this morning and they seemed to be doing much better. Lula’s joined the church band and she seemed really into it. The group from Friday and I prayed again this afternoon for another two hours. I think everything’s alright at the moment” “That’s really good to hear” “I do have a question, Cal… um… about the spirit’s name… I haven’t told anyone what it is. Do you think I should? Or do think that could be dangerous?”. Reverend McCluskey thought for a few moments. “I would say don’t tell anyone yet, just in case. I don’t know why the spirit revealed his name to Stephen and not to the rest of the family. He didn’t even _communicate_ with the rest of the family. Has the spirit communicated with the Walters’ at all?” “No. Not that I know of. Lula and Nellie both saw something, but they didn’t say they heard a voice or anything like that” “Ok. Yeah, I think it’s best you don’t share its name with anyone” “Ok” “Let me know if anything changes, ok?” “Yeah, of course. Thanks Cal”.

It was half term this week so Lula, Damien and Nellie were off college and school. That meant that Jenny wouldn’t be seeing Damien or Nellie. There was no Wednesday evening group either so the next time anyone from St Bartholomew’s would see any of the Walters’ would be Thursday at band rehearsals. Delia had Archie’s number though so she could call if there were any problems. Archie would be in his office as usual this week so he could keep a bit of an eye on the house. He wasn’t too worried. He almost dared to believe the prayers had worked, and Alcatza was gone from Number 67. But why hadn’t it worked ten years ago? Archie was sure that Francis was a much better Christian and Minister than _he_ could ever be. So would it make sense for the prayer to have worked this time, with _Archie_ leading? Maybe it was because the situation was different this time. Last time no one knew the spirit was speaking to Stephen, and it was appearing to be harmless. It had walked around the house, and the whole family, along with those who prayed over the house, saw it. Like with Lula and Nellie, Gavin had felt the spirit sitting on his bed. But there was absolutely no indication at this point that the spirit was malevolent. When the church had prayed over the house before, they wouldn’t have had the same fear that had been pulsing through Archie’s body over the past week… the fear that someone could be seriously hurt. When Archie, Jenny, Greg, Mabel and the Collinson’s had prayed this time round, they’d prayed with a commitment and urgency arising from their fear that if they didn’t do something there could be disastrous consequences. Maybe God had heard them this time because they were literally begging for help. Maybe that was it.

Caleb McCluskey phoned up again on Wednesday when Archie was in the church office. Archie had cast a glance out of the window overlooking the street every ten minutes or so over the last few days. He’d seen Damien and Nellie go out on a few bike rides. He’d seen Lula go out by herself. They seemed perfectly fine. “How’s everything going?” Caleb asked. “Yeah, everything’s great. No problems at all. The kids are on half term this week so they’ve been in the house on their own whilst Delia and Colton are at work. I’ve seen them leaving the house and coming home from out of the window in my office. They seem absolutely fine. I haven’t heard anything from Delia so I’m guessing nothing else has happened. I haven’t seen any social workers turning up at the house either” Archie replied. “I reckon that our prayers worked this time” he added. “Let’s hope so” Caleb said softly.

On Thursday, Archie woke up early, which was unusual for him, and he decided to go into work early. He parked in the car park five minutes away from St Bartholomew’s and stopped off at the corner shop to buy himself a Fanta and some Monster Munch. Delia and Colton were just leaving for work by the time he got to the church. “Heya” Archie waved, crossing the street to their side. Delia smiled broadly. “Hello!” she replied. “This is Archie from church” Delia said to Colton. “Nice to meet you” Colton said, shaking Archie’s hand. He had a tight grip and Archie winced. “How’s your week been?” Archie asked, once his hand was released. “Pretty good thanks. I’d love to be having a week off like the kids, but it’s alright. How are you?” Delia replied. “Yeah, all good thanks”. Colton got in the car and fastened his seatbelt. Delia turned her head to him, then looked back to Archie and sighed. “Got to get going” she said reluctantly, raising her eyebrows. Archie smiled in sympathy. “Have a good day” he said, waving to them both as he crossed back over to the church.

Archie had an early lunch at half eleven and then got on with writing some sermons. He got bored, as he usually did, and took another break just after two. He put his feet up on the desk and rested his head against the back of his swivel chair. He drifted off unintentionally.

He awoke to the sound of someone shouting. He opened his eyes groggily, wiping away drool that was dripping down his chin with the sleeve of his grey jumper. “Help!” the voice shouted again. _What?_ “Help!”. It was a child’s voice. Archie’s eyes widened. _Nellie._ He scrambled up to his feet, tripping over his chair and ending up sprawled on the floor. He righted himself and hurried downstairs. He found Nellie by the doors, looking like a deer in headlights. “Nellie?” Archie ran to her side. “Nellie, what’s wrong sweetheart? Has something happened?” he asked.

“It’s Damien” Nellie gasped, grabbing hold of Archie’s arm and pulling him along after her as she hurried out of the church and towards the house.


	16. Chapter 16

Everything had been fine for over a week. Lula and Nellie had both been feeling better. They hadn’t had any more nightmares… if that’s what they were. It had been strange. Damien had been so worried about Lula when she’d been hurt. And then she’d seemed catatonic for a few days, and he’d been even more concerned. Damien hadn’t felt himself either. He’d felt exhausted, scared and almost numb, like he couldn’t feel his body and everything around him. It was almost like he was floating. It had been horrible, but he’d started to feel a lot better by the end of last week. It was half term now and he’d been doing some revision for school and had played some board games and Wii games with his sisters. He’d gone out on a few bike rides with Nellie as well. They hadn’t had any social workers turn up, which was good.

But then on Thursday afternoon, Damien had started feeling weird again. He had a ringing in his ears which slowly turned into a sound like nails being dragged down a chalkboard. He felt a burning which started in his chest and then made its way through his body till he felt like he was in a sauna. Droplets of sweat trickled down his face. His hands were trembling. He’d been trying to do some maths revision in his bedroom but he couldn’t concentrate. He went downstairs where Lula and Nellie were learning TikTok dances. Lula looked at Damien as he entered the living room and her eyes widened in concern. “Are you ok?” she asked him. Her voice sounded muffled. The screeching in Damien’s ears was getting worse. And then it turned into a voice. _“I’m going to kill you all”_ whispered the rough, venomous voice. _“No one will be able to save you from me. Not even the church. You belong to me now!”._ Damien staggered and Lula rushed forward and supported him as he collapsed to the floor. He put his hands to his ears as a piercing shriek almost deafened him. A burning pain slashed across his stomach and his hands clutched at his shirt. “Damien?!”. Lula’s voice. Damien’s vision was blurred so he could barely see his sisters as they began to panic. Lula pulled up Damien’s shirt slightly and nearly jumped back. There was a burn in the shape of a cross on his stomach and, right before Lula and Nellie’s eyes, another two slashes appeared alongside the first ones, creating another cross. This was certainly not just a nightmare.

“Nellie, go and see if Archie’s at the church!” Damien heard Lula say, and then Nellie was running out. “It’s going to be ok. Just hold on” Lula said to Damien. _“You’re not going to be ok. Not when I’m finished with you. None of you will be ok”_ the demonic sounding voice whispered in Damien’s ear. _“My name is Alcatza, and I’m not going **anywhere** ”. _Another two slashes of pain, smaller this time, and the shape of the cross formed on Damien’s shoulder. He screamed, blood starting to pour from his nose. Damien’s eyes suddenly turned black, and black tears like thick oil poured from his eyes.

Nellie and Archie ran into the room. Archie was speechless as he looked at the scene in front of him. “There’s crosses appearing on his skin. Something’s attacking him!” Lula gasped. She was crying. Archie knelt at Damien’s side, gently cupping his face. Damien’s eyes flickered and they turned from black to their normal emerald green. “Damien? Damien, it’s Archie. Can you hear me?”. Damien nodded weakly. “Can I sit you up?” Archie asked, and Damien nodded. Archie gently pulled Damien into a sitting position, resting his back against the sofa. Damien’s nosebleed had stopped now, the blood staining his clothes. “Can you get me a cloth and some tissues?” Archie asked Lula, who nodded. Damien started to sweat again, trembling. The shrieking in his ears started again and Damien’s eyes rolled back into his head. Archie checked his pulse and breathing. Nellie was sobbing at Archie’s side. Lula rushed into the room with a wet cloth and some kitchen towel. Archie wiped some of the blood away from Damien’s face. “Where’s the crosses?” Archie asked, and Lula lifted up Damien’s shirt to reveal the burns on his stomach. “Oh God” Archie said, feeling nauseous. Damien stirred shakily and Archie put his hand on his shoulder. “Hey mate, it’s ok. Everything’s going to be alright” Archie said, though he didn’t believe his own words. “I heard a voice” Damien said weakly. Archie felt his heart lurch. “What kind of a voice?” Archie asked softly. “It sounded rough… it was a male voice, I think. It said it was going to kill us all, and not even the church could help us. It said its name was Alcatza”. Archie felt a shiver going down his spine at the mention of Alcatza’s name. “Can you hear it now?” Archie asked. Damien shook his head. “No”. Archie bit his lip, feeling completely lost. “How are you feeling now?” he asked. “Tired” Damien replied. “Let’s get you up on the sofa” Archie said, helping Damien up. Damien sank back into the sofa and Archie sat beside him. “What do you think’s going on Archie?” Lula asked. Archie considered telling them. They really did need to know, but he wanted Delia and Colton to be here too when he told them. But would Colton really believe the truth? “Do you think there’s some sort of spirit… or a _demon_ , or something?” Lula asked. Archie nodded. “Yeah, I do”.

Archie phoned Delia to tell her that Damien had been hurt, and that he was with the children and would stay with them until she was home. He didn’t go into details as he didn’t want to panic Delia whilst she was at work, but she said she was leaving now. Damien spoke to her as well to reassure her that he was somewhat okay.

When Delia got in she looked extremely worked up and went straight to Damien to give him a hug. He breathed in sharply when she hugged him, wincing. “Are you okay?” Delia asked. “Tell me what happened”. Damien slowly lifted his shirt to reveal the crosses. Delia stared in horror. “It just _happened_ Mum” Lula said. “We saw it happen right in front of us. The burns just appeared like someone was slashing at him”. Delia was speechless. “I heard a voice Mum. It said it was going to kill us all and no one could save us. I think there’s a spirit in the house” Damien said, beginning to cry. Delia looked from Damien to Lula to Nellie and to Archie, and then back to Damien.

She didn’t have a clue what to think.


	17. Chapter 17

Colton got home at five to find his family and Archie in the living room, looking very distressed. Damien looked terrible, and it was obvious that he, and the rest of the family, had been crying. “What’s happened?” Colton asked. Delia told him everything. Colton stood there, listening intently. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. In fact, he didn’t believe a word of it. There was no way that burns in the shape of crosses could just appear on Damien’s skin. That wasn’t possible. Either he’d done it to himself, or someone else had done it to him. Colton looked to Archie, who looked anxious. There was no way that it was just a coincidence that this stuff had only started happening since the children had gone to the church. Archie met Colton’s eye and Colton’s gaze shifted into a glare. “It’s impossible for burns like that to just _appear_ ” Colton said, his eyes fixed on Archie. “This has got something to do with _you_ ” Colton said to Archie. “It’s got nothing to do with him” Lula said. “He came over here to _help_ us. I asked Nellie to get him because I didn’t know what to do”. Colton shook his head. “I want you out of my house” Colton said to Archie. “Colton-” Delia protested. “ _Now!_ ” Colton shouted. Archie nodded, getting to his feet. “Ok” Archie said simply, but he looked unsure. “If you come anywhere near my family again, I’ll call the police. I think I’m well within my rights to do that _anyway_ ” Colton said as Archie walked out. Archie turned a final glance to the Walters’, biting his lip, and then he opened the front door and went across to the church.

Colton turned to face his family. He tried to soften his expression, but he was furious. “I need you to tell me what really happened” he said as calmly as he could to the children. “The truth, _please_ ”. “We told you the truth” Lula said, her voice shaking. Colton shook his head, breathing in a big gulp of air. “You’re not going to that church again. This is getting ridiculous”. The children didn’t bother to argue with him.

Colton took the day off work on Friday to stay with the children. He wasn’t particularly happy about having to take the day off, but Delia wasn’t able to, and someone had to be here with the kids. Next week they’d be back at school so they wouldn’t be in the house all day by themselves. Right now, they needed supervision. Colton didn’t know if the children were just losing it because of whatever ideas had been planted in their head by the church, or if the silly little Minister was directly responsible for what was going on. Either way, Colton was adamant that the family stay far away from church from now on. Once the children had grown up and left home they could make their own decisions about what delusions to have, but right now Colton had the responsibility as their stepfather to protect them from this pollution of the mind, and he was going to do everything he could to keep them safe.

The children were quiet today and were mostly staying in their rooms. Colton was getting on with work in the living room, the _Challenge_ channel on the television for some background noise. Old episodes of the _Weakest Link_ were on. Suddenly, a terrified, high-pitched scream came from upstairs. Colton threw his laptop aside and hurtled up the stairs. The scream was coming from Nellie’s room. Colton burst through the door and found Nellie lying on the bed, not moving, but still screaming. “Nellie, my God, what the hell is wrong?” Colton asked, putting a hand on her arm. Damien and Lula hurried into the room. “I can’t move” Nellie gasped. “Help me, please, I can’t move”. Colton narrowed his eyes. _What did she mean?_ “Nells, what do you mean?” Colton asked. “I can’t move. I’m stuck. When I try to move it hurts. Please help me” Nellie sobbed. “Nellie, I don’t understand” Colton said. He took hold of Nellie’s hand to hold it and she screamed as he tried to pick up her hand, and Colton found it was stuck fast to the bed. Colton frowned and tried lifting Nellie’s arm, and she screamed again. “Please stop, please, it hurts too much” Nellie said weakly, going extremely pale. Colton turned to Lula and Damien. “What’s going on?” he asked them. Both of them shook their heads, and Colton could tell that they really had no idea. “I don’t understand what’s happening. It’s like she’s glued to the bed” Colton said. He tried to move one of Nellie’s legs and she screamed, hyperventilating. “I need to phone an ambulance” Colton muttered. “No!” Lula replied. “You can’t. I don’t think they’ll understand. I think this is the spirit. I know you don’t believe it Colton, but I’m _serious._ You see how much pain she’s in when you try to move her. If you phone an ambulance the paramedics will try and move her. That could kill her for all we know!”. Colton wanted to tell Lula she was being ridiculous, but he saw the fear in her eyes and he couldn’t say a word. He looked back to Nellie. “Can… can you see anything at the moment? Like… like what you saw before?” he asked tentatively. “No… but I can hear something” “Tell me what you can hear” “It’s a voice… it says its name is Alcatza and it’s going to kill me”. “That’s what I heard yesterday” Damien said. _She’s just copying Damien then_ Colton thought. But then that didn’t explain why Nellie was stuck to the bed. “I don’t feel well” Nellie murmured. And then her eyes widened in sudden fright and she opened her mouth as if about to scream again, but then her head lolled to the side, and she started to fit. Colton froze, staring in horror. Black droplets like oil leaked from the corners of Nellie’s eyes, and blood ran from her nose. A few moments later Nellie stilled, and Colton snapped himself out of his shock. Nellie blinked, groaning lightly. “Nellie?” Colton asked, his throat dry and his voice wavering. Nellie sat up, able to move now and wiped the blood from her nose. Colton felt tears start streaming down his cheeks. “Oh God, Nellie, are you ok? Are you ok?!” he asked, going to hug her but stopping dead when he saw the blood covering the bed sheets. He gently moved Nellie aside, into Lula’s arms and examined the sheet. The blood was in the shape of a giant cross. “Nellie, are you hurt?” Colton asked. He hurriedly checked Nellie for injuries but there wasn’t a scratch on her.

Colton phoned Delia. “Hey. Is everything ok?” Delia asked when she picked up. “No… no, honey are you able to come home?” Colton’s voice was shaking. “Oh Lord, what’s happened?” Delia asked. “Please tell me you’re all ok… Colton, please”. Colton explained the situation, reassuring Delia that Nellie seemed somewhat unscathed despite everything that had just happened, at least physically. “Alright, alright, I’ll be home as soon as I can. We’re dealing with a bit of an emergency here at the moment, but I’ll get out as soon as possible. Colton-” Delia hesitated. “Colton, I think you need to get Archie from St Bartholomew’s over. I know how you feel about church, I know… but right now, we need help. And I think he’s the best person to help us”. “Ok” Colton replied, nodding to himself.

Lula went over to the church to get Archie, and Colton sat down on the sofa, feeling drained. Damien and Nellie sat beside him and he looked at them, trying to give a reassuring smile but failing miserably. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you guys about what was going on” he murmured. Nellie gave him a hug and then Damien joined the hug as well. Colton held his stepchildren tight and wondered what the hell was going to happen next.


	18. Chapter 18

Archie sat in his office, staring at the wall. He still felt shaky from what he had seen at Number 67 the previous day. This was more than he had ever expected to deal with. He hadn’t phoned Caleb McCluskey yet to tell him what had happened. He didn’t know what to say. Colton had made it very clear what he thought about the situation, and Archie didn’t know how to get him to see the truth. If he attempted to go back over to the house and explain what he knew, he risked Colton phoning the police. The police would never understand this situation. It _was_ pretty unbelievable.

Archie had called the group together to pray over the house again last night after the band rehearsals. Lula wasn’t at rehearsals. Archie would have been surprised if she was. Afterwards, Archie had gone over to Jenny’s bungalow and they’d had a hot chocolate outside in her garden. They’d chatted for hours. It had been nearly a week since they’d kissed, and they hadn’t spoken about it yet. Archie and Jenny had been best friends for most of their lives. They’d grown up in the church together, and their parents had been pretty close friends. As children they’d had sleepovers and gone out on play dates. As teenagers they’d gone to the cinema at weekends and gone to teen nights at the local nightclub. Archie knew he’d always had feelings for Jenny, but he’d never asked her out. They’d flirted with each other in a jokey manner a few times, but that was as far as things had gone. Archie couldn’t believe he’d actually _kissed_ Jenny after all these years. He decided last night that he had to ask her how she felt. He just had to know. Life was unpredictable, as Archie was finding out at the moment, and he was done with going through life without taking opportunities. “Jen… how are you feeling about last Friday?” he’d asked shyly. Jenny didn’t need to ask what he was talking about. She smiled. “I’m happy about it” she said, blushing. Archie sighed in relief. “Me too” he said. He rested his head against Jenny’s shoulder for a few moments. “So…” he sat up straight and looked Jenny in the eye. “I think I’ve put this off for long enough… will you… will you be my girlfriend?” Archie hated how cringey he sounded, but then Jenny was kissing him, and all the bad things in the world seemed to disappear for a while.

Archie had stayed over at Jenny’s, sleeping on her sofa, and she’d driven him to the church in the morning. He’d been here for about four hours, and he’d managed to get on with some work, but his thoughts were racing. He had to do something to protect the Walters, but what could he do if Colton was adamant that his family stay away from Archie and the church? Archie put his head in his hands and prayed. “Please Lord, please, please let me help this family. Please let Colton see the truth. Please give me the strength to do your work here on earth” Archie muttered. He continued his prayers for about half an hour and he was about to call it a day and head home, when he heard someone call his name from downstairs. He heard footsteps coming up the stairs to his office. “Archie are you here?” it was Lula. Archie immediately sprang to his feet. “Yeah, yeah I’m here” he called. He met Lula on the stairs. “We need you” she said.

Archie sat in the living room with Colton, Lula, Damien and Nellie. Colton told him everything that had happened. “What do you think’s happening? I can’t understand this” Colton asked Archie desperately, his eyes wide and fearful. Archie knew he had to tell them, now that Colton had seen it first-hand and looked like he was starting to believe that there genuinely was something in the house. “When’s Delia getting home?” Archie asked. “Soon. She’s caught up in a bit of an emergency at work, but she says she’ll leave as soon as she possibly can” “Ok” Archie nodded. “I think it will be best if I tell you all together. Is that ok?”. Colton’s brow furrowed and then he nodded.

Delia got in at four, and Archie gave her his seat. He put his hands in his jeans pockets, gulping slightly, realising the immensity of what he was about to tell the Walters. “I will warn you; this is going to sound unbelievable. But please try and trust me. I do know what it is that’s in the house, and I’m really sorry to say that I’ve known about it for longer than all of you have”. The family stared at him. “You mean you know exactly what this is?” Colton asked. Archie nodded, and then hesitated. “Well, not _exactly._ But there is a spirit, a _malevolent_ spirit, and I’ve been aware of it for some time” “Why the hell wouldn’t you tell us?” Colton asked, baffled. “Because you wouldn’t have believed me. You wouldn’t have believed me until you saw it for yourself. You would have thought I was insane if I came over here and told you there’s a spirit living in the house you just moved into. And I honestly didn’t think that anything was going to happen”. Colton seemed to understand that. He knew how he’d reacted yesterday, and that what Archie had just said was completely true. He wouldn’t have believed a word of it. He wasn’t sure what to believe right _now_ , but he was desperate for answers. Any answers. Archie took a deep breath. “The family who lived here before you, the McCuaig’s, they lived here for ten years before they moved to Ireland. They attended St Bartholomew’s, and a while after they moved in here they asked the church for prayer because they’d seen a spirit walking around the house. The younger son said he felt the spirit sitting on his bed, just like Lula and Nellie said. The older son said he never saw or felt anything. The church came over here and prayed over the house. My father, Francis, was Minister at the time. He prayed, and so did some of the other members of our congregation, like Greg and Mabel. It was then believed that the spirit had left. That’s what Mr and Mrs McCuaig reported. However, their younger son continued to see the spirit, and as it turns out, so did they. Just a few months ago, I received a call from a Minister in Ireland. His name’s Caleb McCluskey. The two McCuaig boys were starting boarding school on the same site as Caleb’s church. They attended the church groups and services, and the younger boy was dating Caleb’s goddaughter, so he got to know the boys fairly well. Towards the end of August, the older brother attempted to kill or hurt several of his peers. He stabbed his girlfriend, and he put his brother’s girlfriend in hospital. He then tried to take his own life. He sent a text message to his brother, saying that he had in fact seen the spirit and, not only that, he’d also communicated with it. It had revealed its name to him. The name was Alcatza. He said the reason he’d hurt people was because he’d been forced to move away from the spirit, who he considered the most important thing in his life. The boy is currently sectioned under the Mental Health Act, and obviously he can’t get the right help because no one aside from his family and the church believe that what he saw here in this house was genuine. Whatever it is drove him insane. Caleb phoned me to warn me that the spirit may still be here. This time, it seems to be working in a different way. But it’s the same spirit. It’s Alcatza”.

The family didn’t speak for what seemed like an eternity. Then Delia coughed slightly. “So what are we going to do?” she asked. “I’m going to call Caleb McCluskey. He’s dealt with this kind of thing before, and hopefully he can help us. He already knows about some of the things that have been happening the past few weeks. And I got a group together of people who understand a bit about this kind of thing; Jenny, Mabel, Greg, the Collinson’s, who you may have met on Sunday. Mabel, Greg and the Collinson’s prayed over the house ten years ago”. “How comes the prayer didn’t work ten years ago?” Colton asked. Archie shrugged weakly. “I really don’t know. No one knew the spirit was malevolent then, so I guess there wouldn’t have been the same urgency in the prayer. But honestly, I don’t know. But we’re going to do everything we can to help you”. Archie felt overwhelmed for a moment but he pushed the feeling down. He had to focus. He had to think of a plan. “I think it’ll be a good idea to get the kids out of the house. You can stay at mine, or Jenny’s, or with anyone at the church, just until we sort this. I don’t think it’s safe here”. Delia and Colton nodded.

Archie went across to the church and sent a message to the group.

_The Walters know everything. I’m going to call Reverend McCluskey and get him to come here and help us. I’ve told the Walters they can stay with one of us whilst we get this sorted. It’s not safe in the house._

And then Archie dialled Caleb McCluskey’s number.


	19. Chapter 19

Caleb McCluskey sat in his office in St Brendan’s church, an ornate, traditional church, based just outside the grounds of St Brendan’s Church School, a Christian boarding school on the outskirts of Dublin. He was forty-one years old, with longish black hair, mesmerising blue eyes, a strong jaw and high cheekbones. He wore robes on a Sunday but today he wore dark blue chinos, a checked white and navy shirt and black Converse All-Stars. He was just finishing up on next week’s sermon on Ephesians 1 when his mobile rang. It was Archie. Caleb picked up the phone instantly, his heart beginning to hammer. Had something else happened? “Hello?” “Hey mate. I, um-” Archie voice suddenly wavered and Caleb could hear him trying to compose himself. “What’s happened?” Caleb asked gently. Archie told him everything. “I’m sorry, it’s just hit me how serious this is” Archie said tearfully. “It’s ok, it’s ok” Caleb reassured him. “Let me sort things out here and I’ll get a flight over to you as soon as I possibly can, ok?” “Ok” “Get the family out of the house as soon as you can. Are they still there right now?” “Yeah…” Archie trailed off and then went into a panic. “Oh God, I shouldn’t have left them there” “It’s alright. Try and stay calm for me. Go and get them. Tell them to pack up anything they need”. Caleb checked flight times on his computer. He heard Archie’s hurried footsteps through the phone. “There’s a flight leaving tonight at nine” Caleb said. He got up and starting packing away his work. He’d book his flight, pack up some stuff and drive to the airport straight away. “I’m in the house now. They’re ok. They’re packing some stuff and then I’ll sort out somewhere for them to stay” Archie said. “Good. Good, stay with them, ok? I’m just going to book my flight and get my stuff, and then I’ll drive to the airport. I’m be flying to Manchester and then I’ll have to get a train from there to Carlisle. I’ll stay the night in Manchester probably, and then I’ll get the train to Carlisle tomorrow morning” “Thank you so much for this mate” “It’s alright. Archie, as soon as the family are out of the house and you’ve got somewhere for them to stay, I need you to take it easy, alright? Sit yourself down and try and rest. There’s not a whole lot you can do aside from pray. When I get to you, we’ll make a plan of action” “Ok” “I’ll see you soon”.

The minute he was off the phone, Caleb heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Cyril Berkeley appeared at the doorway, his golden hair wild and getting in his eyes. He was wearing magenta trousers, a dark green t-shirt, black boots and his denim jacket decorated with badges. “Hey love” Cyril said, leaning against the doorframe and looking incredibly cool. Caleb didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky to have a boyfriend like Cyril. They’d met in Paris at the end of July, just before Cyril had begun his new job at St Brendan’s as a children’s and youth worker. Caleb had gone to Paris for a series of Christian conferences and hadn’t expected to fall head over heels in love with his soon-to-be colleague, but he had a connection with Cyril that he’d never had with anyone else before. They hadn’t labelled their relationship at first. Caleb had told Cyril his feelings during the second week that they were in Paris, and Cyril had reciprocated his feelings. But they didn’t know whether being in a relationship would be right, or whether the congregation of St Brendan’s would approve, so they’d considered themselves just friends, though they did sneak a few kisses now and then. But then Caleb had decided that he cared more for Cyril than he did for anyone’s opinion, and he’d asked him to be his partner. They weren’t really open about it, but a few people in the church knew.

Caleb and Cyril were planning to go out this evening for a date. They hadn’t decided where they were going yet. But now Caleb had to get to the airport. Cyril didn’t know a whole lot about the situation. He knew about the spirit, and he knew about what Stephen had said. He knew a small part of what had happened previously with Annaliese and the locket, but he wasn’t aware of the full extent of the situation. Caleb had been worried about telling him for fear that Cyril wouldn’t understand. What had happened with Annaliese was more unbelievable that what was happening _now._

Caleb was snapped from his thoughts by a worried hand on his arm and Cyril kneeling in front of him. He realised he hadn’t even responded to Cyril’s presence yet. “Are you ok?” Cyril asked, concernedly. Caleb blinked. “Yeah, yeah I’m sorry” “You’re properly zoned out honey, what’s wrong?”. Caleb shook his head to clear it. “Cyril, I’ve got to go to Carlisle” he said. “ _Carlisle?_ Hun, I think there’s more interesting places you can go” “It’s an emergency”. Cyril’s eyes narrowed. “Is this about the thing with Stephen?”. Caleb nodded. “Yep”. He looked up at Cyril. “I need to book a flight for tonight. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I need you to get someone to do my sermon on Sunday. Are you ok to take over the pastoral duties? I’m going to need you to tell Annaliese, no wait, she’ll panic. I don’t know-” “Hey, hey, slow down, slow down. Cal talk to me, what’s happening?” Cyril ran a hand through Cal’s hair gently. “Have you got the van with you?” Cal asked. “Yeah” Cyril replied. “Can you give me a lift to the airport? I’ll explain everything on the way” “Yeah sure”. Cal went and got some stuff from his cottage, which was right next to the church. He explained everything to Cyril as he packed. Cyril was struggling to take it all in, but he believed every word Cal said. He didn’t want to believe it, but he did. “So, you’re potentially putting yourself at risk by going over there?” Cyril asked. “Yeah” Cal replied, getting his flight booked on his phone. “Cal, I don’t think I’m going to let you go”. Cyril reached to take Cal’s phone out of his hand. Cal stepped away from him and looked him in the eye. “Cyril, this is serious” “You just told me that when this happened with Annaliese, you ended up _dying._ Yeah, sure, the spirit managed to bring you back to life. But I don’t think this spirit is the same. If you get hurt-” “Cyril, there’s a family that need help” “If you go, I go. I’m not letting you do this alone” “I’m not going to be alone” “Cal, _please_ ”. Cal realised Cyril wasn’t going to give in, and he booked them both onto the flight. “Ok, go and get more of my stuff from my room. You’ll have to borrow my clothes for the next few days. We haven’t got time to go to yours”.

They drove to the airport. Cyril’s hands were shaking on the wheel. “I really want you to reconsider coming with me” Cal said. Cyril shook his head. “No way”. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you when I could have prevented you from coming with me” Cal said. “It’s my choice” Cyril replied simply.

They got the plane to Manchester and arrived late at night. Cal had messaged Susanna, one of the voluntary children’s workers at church to ask her to cover his sermon on Sunday and to help with any pastoral issues whilst he was gone. He also asked if she could find someone to feed his cat Ash, and Cyril’s cat Sebastian. He didn’t message Annaliese. He was scared of worrying her. She was still recovering from everything else that had happened the past few months.

Cal and Cyril checked into a hotel near the airport. “The only room we’ve got left is a double, so it’s just one bed. Is that ok?” the hotel receptionist asked. Cal looked to Cyril, who nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine” Cal said. They went up to their room and put down their bags. Cal had messaged Archie a few times to check in and everything seemed to be alright. The Walters’ were staying with the Collinson’s, an elderly couple in the St Bartholomew’s congregation who had prayed over the house ten years ago. Cal tried to relax and save his worries for tomorrow, but he was finding that incredibly difficult to do. He didn’t know how he’d cope if something happened to Cyril. Cal lay down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He was tired but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep. Cyril lay down beside him. “Are you annoyed at me?” Cyril asked. Cal turned to face him. “A bit” “You know how you said you’d never forgive yourself if something happened to me?” “Yeah?” “Yeah well I feel the same about you. I know we’ve only known each other a few months, and we’ve only been officially _together_ for a few weeks, but Cal, you honestly mean the world to me, and I’m not letting you do this unless I’m right by your side”. Cal sighed and rested his head against Cyril’s chest. “I love you” Cal said softly. “I love you too” Cyril replied, gently running his hand through Cal’s hair and then kissing his head. They soon managed to get to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Cyril woke up early. Cal was still asleep, his arm draped over Cyril and his head still on his chest. Cyril checked his phone. It had just gone seven. Cal stirred, stretching and rolling onto his back. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked to Cyril sleepily. “Morning” he murmured. “Morning” Cyril replied. “What’s the time?” Cal asked. “Just gone seven”. Cal groaned. “We should probably be getting up” he said. Cal went to have a shower and Cyril dressed into Cal’s denim jeans and Beatles Abbey Road t-shirt, with his own denim jacket. They were about the same size, so Cal’s clothes fitted him just fine. When Cal was out of the shower he dressed into his chinos, a black shirt and a white pullover. They packed everything up and pulled on their coats and shoes, and then checked out of the hotel. They got a McDonald’s breakfast and then made their way to the station. They got on the train to Carlisle at half eight. It was a two-hour journey. Cal messaged Archie to let him know they were on the train. Cal and Cyril were tense throughout the whole journey, not knowing what to say to each other; and with the realisation hitting them more and more every second that they had no clue what exactly they were heading into.

Archie met Cal and Cyril outside Carlisle train station. He looked shattered. “Hey” Archie said, shaking Cal and Cyril’s hands. “This is my partner Cyril” Cal said. “It’s so nice to meet you both” Archie replied. “Is it alright we all meet together at the Collinson’s? The Walters’ are there right now, and Jenny, Greg and Mabel are going to come over” Archie asked. “Yeah of course” Cal replied. They got into Archie’s black Ford and drove to the Collinson’s, Archie reminding Cal of all the details of everything that had happened the past few weeks. Cyril sat and listened in almost stunned silence. He’d believed everything Cal had told him but, nonetheless, it was chilling to hear it all said by Archie as well. That confirmed it all as truth, and it was a terrifying truth.

They arrived at the Collinson’s and went into the lounge where the Walters’ were. Jenny was already here, and soon Greg and Mabel arrived too. “Ok…” Archie began. “We need a plan of action. I think that we should begin by praying all together, and then some of us will head on over to the house. I don’t know how much danger we’ll be putting ourselves in by going over there and attempting to drive out the spirit. Lula, Damien and Nellie, you’re going to have to stay put; it’s definitely not safe for you at the house. Timothy and Annetta, is it alright if you both stay here with them?”. Timothy and Annetta nodded. “Ok. Is everyone else up for coming to the house?” Archie asked. He looked at Mabel. She was strong and independent, but she was in her nineties, and Archie wasn’t sure he wanted to take the risk of her coming along. “Mabel, how are you feeling about coming along? I don’t expect you to” Archie said. Mabel tutted. “I’m coming” “Are you _sure?_ ” “Yes, young man, I am. I’ve had over ninety years of following the Lord and I’m not going to sit back and let you all do this without me. I need to be there” “Ok” Archie nodded. “What about the rest of you? I will not judge any of you for not wanting to do this. I’m not sure whether it will be better for us to have just a few people or whether we need a bigger team. What do you all think?” “I’m coming” Greg replied. “Same” said Jenny. “Me too” Colton said. “I need to be there so I know what’s happening. I’m not going to bring my family back to that house until I know for certain that whatever that thing is is gone” “If you’re going, I’m going” Delia said to Colton. Archie winced at this. He wasn’t sure he wanted any of the Walters’ to come along. Delia and Colton hadn’t been targeted personally by Alcatza yet, but Archie had no clue how the spirit worked, and he didn’t know how unsafe this situation was going to get. Lula, Damien and Nellie needed their parents, and Archie couldn’t guarantee their safety. But he could see that it would be pointless trying to persuade them to stay here. “Alright then. It’s me, Cal, Cyril, Jenny, Greg, Mabel, Delia and Colton. That’s eight of us” Archie said. “Let’s pray, and then we’ll head out”.

About half an hour later, the group went over to Number 67. Cal, Cyril and Jenny went in Archie’s car. Mabel, Delia and Colton went in Greg’s car. As Cyril stepped out of the car when they arrived at the house, he felt a shiver run down his spine. “You ok?” Cal asked softly. Cyril nodded. “Know your limits ok? If this gets too much, I need you to get out” Cal said. “I’m not going anywhere without you” Cyril replied.

They went into the house. It felt normal. There wasn’t any chill breeze or creaking noises, or red-faced demons lurking round corners. It was just a house. An ordinary house. Cyril relaxed a bit. The group sat in the living room and prayed together. Colton looked pretty lost and bewildered. Cyril caught sight of his own reflection in the television screen and realised he had the exact same expression on his face as Colton.

The group stayed at the house for most of the day. Archie and Cal walked around the house, looking for any sign of disturbance. Everything was in order. There was no trace of Alcatza. “Do you think it’s gone?” Colton asked when Archie and Cal came downstairs and re-joined the group. “I don’t know” Archie replied. “It won’t want to be driven out so I reckon it’s trying to convince us it’s gone”. “So then what do we do?” Colton asked. “How will we ever know it’s really gone if it’s going to play games with us?”. Archie looked to Cal, hoping he may have an answer to that, but Cal shook his head gently. “Archie said you have experience of this kind of thing” Colton said to Cal. “Yes… earlier this year. It was a bit different to this” “But did you manage to drive the spirit out?” “Yes… well, sort of” “Sort of? Oh God” Colton groaned and put his head in his hands. “So we’re _all_ completely clueless about what we’re doing, and we’re just hoping that there’s a god somewhere who’s listening to our prayers? Newsflash; he hasn’t stopped the spirit yet, if that’s what this even is, and he doesn’t seem to care one bit that there are _innocent children_ who have been harmed by this spirit. _My_ children”. “The situation I dealt with earlier this year was very unique” Cal explained calmly. “The spirit was a boy named Ishmoln who was killed in a village in South East Asia. He was subject to torture for many years before his death at the hands of some of the other lads in the village. His spirit flowed into a locket that his mother was making, and she sold it to my goddaughter Annaliese’s parents, unaware the spirit of her son had found his way into the locket. Annaliese’s parents were working as missionaries in a nearby village. They sent the locket to Annaliese for her fifteenth birthday, and every time she held it when she was asleep, Ishmoln was able to take over her body and harm people. Annaliese was expelled from school when CCTV showed her breaking into the school and covering the halls in graffiti in the middle of the night. She had no recollection of doing that, and the paintings in the corridor were well beyond her ability. I knew there was something very strange going on, but I didn’t know how to approach the situation. I took her to the hospital because she became very unwell, but the doctors’ couldn’t find anything physically wrong with her. She then escaped from the children’s ward at the hospital, and when the Garda went after her, the Garda are our police in Ireland by the way, she managed to kill every single one of the officers”. Colton, Delia, Greg, Jenny and even Archie’s mouths widened in shock. Archie was aware of some of this, but Cal hadn’t told him this much before. This was insane. “The locket was giving her powers. When she wore it when she was awake, which she was when she killed the Guards, she was able to maintain some control over herself. She hadn’t meant to kill the Guards, but she had power that she didn’t understand and that she’d never experienced before, and she was very scared. I found her, and by this point it was obvious that the locket was the problem. We managed to communicate with the spirit, Ishmoln, and he said that he just wished to be reunited with his mother. He was able to use our energy to transport us to his village. So, yes, one minute we were in St Brendan’s Church in Ireland, the next we were in a remote village in South East Asia. And here’s where it really gets unbelievable. We reunited Ishmoln with his mother, but he’d been using me as a host and the energy it had taken to transport us to the other side of the world was apparently too much for me, and I died. My body was burnt out. But Ishmoln, somehow, was able to restore time back to before Annaliese’s birthday. So in the end, no one died, I’m still alive, and only Annaliese, her parents and I remember anything about that time. It technically never happened”. The group were still staring at Cal, stunned. “So yeah, back to the point. This is a different situation altogether. Ishmoln turned out to be just a boy with a lot of built up anger and pain, who became something of a demon when he was killed, but he was able to reverse all that. He became good. He’s now with his mother and isn’t causing any trouble. The spirit here is different. And we hardly know a thing about it” Cal said. “This is unbelievable” Colton murmured. “This has got to be some kind of a joke… a prank… whatever. There’s no way this can be real” “It is” Cal replied. “I wish it wasn’t, but it is”.


	21. Chapter 21

At eight PM, following hours of prayer and no sign of Alcatza, the group decided to call it a day. They were going to meet again at Number 67 after church in the morning. Cal and Cyril went to stay with Greg as he had a spare room, and Greg dropped Mabel home on the way. Archie dropped off Jenny and then the Walters’ at the Collinson’s home. He came in for a cup of tea. “How did it go?” Annetta asked. “There was no sign of the spirit, but we reckon it’s still there. We’re going to go back tomorrow and see what happens” Archie said.

Colton sank down into an armchair, reflecting on the day. This was all mad. Leaving Carlisle and finding somewhere else to live wasn’t an option right now, but the family couldn’t stay with the Collinson’s indefinitely. They had to do something. _He_ had to do something.

“Thanks for today Archie” Delia said as Archie left. “That’s alright. Hopefully we’ll make some more progress tomorrow” Archie replied. “You’re talking like we made progress _today_ ” Colton muttered under his breath. He still wasn’t sure he trusted Archie at all. This situation was just too unbelievable. But what could explain what he’d seen happen to Nellie? Colton had always laughed at religion and spirituality, but now he’d seen something that was unexplainable. But what he’d seen didn’t prove Christianity. There could be demons on earth without there being a God, right? So perhaps there really was no getting rid of this spirit.

In the morning, Colton woke up to Delia nudging him. “Church starts in forty-five minutes” she said. “I’m not going” Colton replied. Delia looked shocked and Colton wasn’t sure why, considering he’d never been to church once in his life. “Why not?” Delia asked. “I never wanted to get involved with church and church people. I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for this situation” Colton said quietly. Delia studied Colton with her eyes. “Seriously? My God, Colton, after everything that’s happened… you still feel exactly the same as you did before?” “Yeah, I do. I thought about giving it a go, just for you. But this experience has just reinforced my view that it’s best to stay as far away from religion as possible” “God may be the only thing that can stop this spirit. We _need_ the church right now” “Yeah but the spirit doesn’t prove the God of Christianity, or Jesus, or anything like that. It just proves there’s some sort of spiritual existence. And the church aren’t doing anything but praying, and so far that’s made no difference”. Delia sighed, rubbing her forehead. “These people are looking out for us right now. Cal and Cyril have come from _Ireland_ to help us. This is a huge deal” “I know. And I want this over so I can live in my own house and get back to my life. I’ve got to go to work tomorrow, and so have you. What are we meant to do?” “This is more important than work right now Colton” “Look, I’m not coming with you. You go, have a nice time. I need some time to think about what we’re going to do if the church don’t miraculously manage to drive this damn spirit out of our house”. “Fine” Delia said, turning to walk out of the room. She turned back to Colton. “The service ends at half eleven. Meet us at the church. We’ll have lunch at ours”.

Colton waited until his family and the Collinson’s were gone, and then he pulled on his coat and shoes and went out. Delia had taken the car so he had to get a bus. He was going to the house. Everyone would be in the service so they wouldn’t see him. He planned to go in there and confront whoever the hell this spirit was and see what happened. If nothing happened then he’d meet his family at the end of the service, and they’d all go over to the house together for more praying and waiting. If something did happen? Colton didn’t know. But he wanted this over. Now.

Colton unlocked the door of Number 67 and went inside. Everything was normal, just like yesterday. He kicked off his shoes and dumped his coat on the sofa. He sat down and looked up at the ceiling. “Alcatza?” he asked. “You there?”. Nothing. Colton laughed slightly and shook his head. He decided to go and take a shower. Perhaps the spirit would come and attack him whilst he was distracted. He didn’t want to be attacked, but he had to get the spirit to reveal itself somehow. He had to know it was real. If things got bad, the church was just over the road. He could get help straight away.

Colton spent about twenty minutes in the shower, allowing himself to clear his mind of everything. He focused on the warm water running over his face and the scent of his Lynx body wash. Still no sign of the spirit. _It really is playing games._ Colton sighed, frustrated, and switched off the water. He turned to push open the glass shower door and there was a huge cross of blood on it. Colton stared, gulping slightly. _Ok… so this is real._ He slowly opened the door, trying to avoid touching the blood. He quickly towelled himself dry and pulled on his blue jeans and black t-shirt. He turned to the mirror and as he looked into the face of his reflection the glass seemed to melt, turning to liquid and dripping into the sink. The liquid then turned blood red and formed a cross in the mirror.

Colton hurried out of the bathroom and down the stairs. He had to get to the church. He went to pick up his shoes and an invisible force threw him backwards. He skidded across the hallway, ending up in the doorway to the kitchen. He scrambled to his feet and the moment he was up the house was plunged into darkness. It was daytime so there still should have been some light coming in through the windows, but it was pitch black. Colton felt his way into the living room, fumbling around for his phone. He had to call Delia. He needed help. Urgently. He found his phone on the arm of the sofa and it lit up, illuminating a red face beside him with fangs hanging down over chapped, bloody lips, and empty eye sockets. Colton screamed, dropping his phone, and an invisible hand seized hold of his throat and hauled him up off the ground.

And then Colton wasn’t himself anymore. He was still there, in his body, but something else was in control.

And that something was Alcatza.


	22. Chapter 22

Gregory Acton breathed deeply as he sat at his piano, trying to focus on the worship songs he had to play and not on the horror that lay in wait across the road at Number 67. He’d always believed in the spiritual world. He’d been a Christian almost all of his life. He’d grown up in the church and had studied a combined degree in Theology and Music. He’d been teaching music at St Anselm’s Catholic School for the past twenty years, and he’d been a part of the church band for almost as long as he could remember. He was also one of the musical directors for a local amateur dramatics company, and when he wasn’t directing he’d perform in the shows. He was a talented actor with a powerful tenor voice.

Caleb and Cyril had stayed over at Greg’s house last night. They’d chatted till late at night. All three had studied Theology at university so they shared stories of their student days; their favourite lecturers, topics and their dissertations. Greg and Cyril shared a love of playing music. Cyril played the electric guitar and he had a go on Greg’s Fender Player Telecaster. He played some Arctic Monkeys songs whilst they spoke about church and their favourite worship songs and Bible verses. Greg found that as much as he wanted this situation to be over, he’d be sad to say goodbye to Caleb and Cyril. They’d only spent one day together but they were great guys and Greg could see them all being very good friends.

There was a sense of peace and calm in the church at the moment. The band were playing _Oceans_ by Hillsong. It was one of Greg’s favourite worship songs.

_Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders_

_Let me walk upon the waters_

_Wherever you may call me_

_Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander_

_And my faith will be made stronger_

_In the presence of my saviour_

When the service was over, the group got together and waited for Colton to arrive. The Collinson’s took Lula, Damien and Nellie back to their house on the bus. It got round to twelve and Colton still hadn’t shown. Delia had phoned him several times but there was no answer. “I don’t know what he’s playing at” she groaned. She phoned Lula. “Hi darling, is dad still at the Collinson’s?” she asked. Greg couldn’t hear Lula’s reply but it was obvious from Delia’s frown and the sudden increase of worry in her eyes that Colton wasn’t at the Collinson’s. “He’s not there” she said as she put her phone in her pocket, biting her lip. “Maybe he’s still on his way” Jenny said, putting a hand on Delia’s shoulder to comfort her. “I don’t understand why he’s not answering his phone. He was in a mood this morning. Maybe he’s… maybe he’s cleared off. He wouldn’t do that, would he?” Delia asked worriedly. “I’m sure he wouldn’t” Jenny replied reassuringly. Delia’s eyes widened suddenly. “Oh no”. “What is it?” Archie asked. “What if he went to the house?”. That was a possibility. The group looked to each other and Archie nodded. “We need to go over there” he said.

The group headed over to Number 67. Delia’s hands were shaking as she went to unlock the front door. She was so scared that she’d open the door to find Colton at the mercy of the demon. He could be hurt… or even dead. Delia dropped the key twice as she tried to unlock the door and the second time Archie picked up the key from the ground and unlocked the door. His hands had been shaking as well but not as much as Delia’s.

The house was quiet and undisturbed. “Colton?” Delia called. There was no response. Delia didn’t know whether to be relieved or even more worried. “I’ll take a look upstairs” she said. “I’ll come with you” Archie followed her up, and Cal went halfway up the stairs, ready to help if anything happened. Delia checked the bathroom and all of the children’s bedrooms and then headed up to the third floor to check her and Colton’s room. The door was locked. “Colton?!” Delia shouted, pushing against the door and then hammering on it with her fists. “Colton are you in there?!”. Delia couldn’t help but think the worst. Cal appeared at her side and slammed his body into the door. The rest of the group were here as well now. Greg got to Cal’s side and they both tried to break open the door, but to no avail. “Is there anything we can use to break through?” Greg asked Delia. She didn’t respond for a few moments, staring vacantly, but then she nodded. “Yeah, there’s probably something in the garden shed. I’ll go and take a look”. Jenny went with her, and Cal and Greg continued to try and open the door. “Colton, are you in there mate?” Archie called. “It’s just us lot from St Bartholomew’s. Everything’s going to be alright”. No response. And then Greg noticed the blood running down the white walls out of the corner of his eye. It was slowly forming the shape of a cross. He nudged Archie and Cal who turned to look and they all stared, not saying a word, not even daring to breathe.

A rattling came from inside the room. It was followed by a high pitch squeaking and then a low static buzz. “Colton?” Archie called again. The sound of the door unlocking made the group jump. “Stay back” Cal ordered, making sure he was in front of everyone. Cyril looked like he wanted to grab Cal and run as fast as he could away from here, but his hand stuttered in mid-air and then he dropped it, looking defeated. The door opened itself painfully slowly and creaking loudly. The lights suddenly flickered to a blazing red like hellfire. It was so bright that Greg found his eyes shutting as stinging tears leaked out. He dabbed at his eyes, trying to clear them so he could see what was in front of him. The door of the bedroom opened all the way to reveal Colton sitting still on the bed, looking straight ahead. Tears of oil ran down his face, and blood ran from the left corner of his mouth. His eyes were completely black. Delia and Jenny ran up the stairs with an axe from the garden shed but froze when they saw the door already open.

Delia dropped the axe and tentatively came forward. No one uttered a word.

She looked into the room and into the eyes of her husband and screamed.


	23. Chapter 23

Cyril watched as Cal went into the room. Archie followed warily and Greg went in after him. Cyril, Jenny, Mabel and lastly Delia joined them. The group stood in a semi-circle around the bed, their eyes fixed on Colton, and he looked to each one of them in turn with his black eyes, as if deciding who he wanted to pick off first. His eyes locked on Jenny and she screamed in pain, falling to her knees. Delia dropped down beside her, checking her for wounds. Jenny lifted her t-shirt to reveal a cross burnt across her side. Cyril felt nauseous. Colton’s eyes scanned the room again and then his gaze rested on Mabel. Greg jumped in front of her to protect her from whatever the demon had to offer, and Colton’s eyes shot up towards the ceiling, sending Greg flying up off the floor. He hovered in mid-air, his glasses askew. And then he was being strangled by an invisible force. Greg lifted his hands to his throat, trying to prise loose the invisible fingers that were slowly suffocating him… slowly draining his life like sand running through an hourglass. Cal stepped between Greg and Colton but it made no difference. Cal grabbed hold of Colton and shook him, but Colton’s dark eyes never wavered. Cal took a deep breath, reared back and then swung a punch at Colton that had Delia gasping but not moving from her spot crouched next to Jenny. Colton’s head sprung back but then returned to its former position as if nothing had happened. Greg was dying. Cyril watched helplessly as his head lolled forward and he stopped struggling. Archie and Cal took hold of Colton’s arms and pinned him to the bed, forcing his eyes away from Greg. Colton struggled violently, a piercing shriek reverberating around the room. Greg fell to the floor. Cyril got to his side. “Greg? Mate? You ok?” he asked desperately. Jenny scrambled over to them, Delia right behind her. “Two of you take over from me. Three of you maybe. Now” Cal said firmly. Mabel moved first, getting to Cal’s side, and then Jenny and Delia joined her, all three of them helping Archie to pin Colton to the bed. Cal got to Greg’s side and checked his breathing. “He’s alright. He’s still breathing” Cal said, relieved but still concerned. He put his arms under Greg’s and gently dragged him out of the room, leaning him against the wall in the hallway. Cal hurried back into the room. Cyril was sitting on the floor, breathing deeply, the shock of the situation starting to really take a toll on him. “Cyril, I need you to get out” Cal said firmly but kindly. Cyril looked up. “What?” “Out. Now”. Cyril got to his feet shakily. “I’m not leaving you” he said. “I need you with Greg. Cyril, please”. Cyril shook his head. He realised he was shaking. “No” he murmured weakly. “I’ll go” Jenny said, moving carefully off of Colton and then leaving the room. Cal took her place, restraining Colton. “Cyril, you’re no good to us in here. You’re struggling” Cal said. Cyril hated himself for being so weak. Colton suddenly swung his right arm free and when Mabel tried to regain her grip he swung a punch that sent her flying back into the wardrobe. Cal secured Colton’s arm, Cyril taking over from Mabel beside him. “Mabel, are you ok?” Cal called. “I’m fine. I’m fine” Mabel said, the pain evident in her voice. “I think I might have broken my arm” she added a moment later. “Go and wait outside with Greg and Jenny” Cal said gently. “No. I’m staying in here” Mabel replied, getting to her feet, cradling her injured arm. She returned to the bedside and began to pray. Colton’s eyes turned red and blood started running from them. Cyril, Archie, Cal, Mabel and Delia prayed out loud. Jenny stood at the doorway, keeping an eye on Greg and also joining the rest of the group in prayer.

The bed began to shake violently, causing Delia to fall off onto the floor. Cal, Archie and Cyril tried to secure Colton but he threw them off. Colton got to his feet beside the bed and the deafening, piercing screech bounced off of the walls. Everyone in the room knew that things were about to get a whole lot worse.

Colton’s eyes locked onto Cyril, and Cyril froze, anxiety rushing through his body like a violent wave in a storm. Cal got in front of him and before Cyril knew what was happening, Cal had shoved him out of the open bedroom door. Cyril stumbled into the hallway beside Jenny and Greg. And then the door slammed shut, locking. “No!” Cyril shouted, trying to open the door. “Cal!”.

“Colton!” Cyril heard Delia shout. “Colton, if you’re still in there, it’s me, it’s Delia! You’re stronger than this Colton! Fight it! Please!”. Cyril heard a crash. He heard Delia, Cal and Mabel praying. “Jesus, drive Alcatza out of this house. Drive him out of Colton. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” Cal prayed, and then there was another tremendous crash and the bedroom door shook. Cyril realised someone had been flung against it. He could just about see a body underneath the door. He knelt down and saw Cal’s black hair.

Greg stirred, and Jenny helped him to sit up properly. Cyril could only stare at the door as blood began to slowly run out from under it. “Oh my God” Cyril murmured. He could hear Delia and Mabel’s voices now, still praying… urgent… pleading… desperate. “Colton, please! Jesus loves you. He wants to save you! Fight against this!” Delia yelled. Cal and Archie’s voices were gone. “Cal?” Cyril called out weakly. Jenny was at his side, a hand on his shoulder. They both looked down at the blood that was staining the hallway carpet… the blood that was coming from inside the room… from the body that was lying against the door. Cyril felt his knees go weak and his eyelids flutter, and then Jenny was catching him and laying him flat on the floor.

The door suddenly swung open, hitting Cyril’s legs and jolting him to awareness.

The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a satanic grin spreading across Colton’s face.


	24. Chapter 24

Colton felt lost inside his own body. He felt like his body was the world and he was a tiny uninhabited island in the middle of a vast ocean. He had no control now. Alcatza had taken the reins and Colton could see everything it was doing, with no power to stop it. He should have believed. He should have trusted the church. He should have waited until he was with the group to come over to the house. But no, like always, he thought he could do things on his own. He thought he was better than everyone else. _Look where it’s got you_ Colton thought to himself.

He’d hurt Jenny, Greg and Mabel, and now he’d quite likely killed Archie and Caleb. Archie was lying on his side against the wall to Colton’s left. Colton couldn’t tell if he was breathing. He couldn’t see any blood, but that didn’t mean he was alright. He’d thrown Caleb against the door, and he was bleeding. A lot. Mabel was to Colton’s right, still praying but clearly growing weaker every second. He’d broken her arm and she’d taken quite a knock against the wardrobe when he’d thrown her back. Colton felt sick. He felt an ache in his chest. He felt grief at the thought that he would likely never be in control of his own body again. He’d never be able to tell Delia and his stepchildren how much they meant to him. He’d never be able to apologise for the many, many mistakes he had made, for all of those hurtful comments, for _this._

 _It’s time to say goodbye to your wife_ Alcatza’s raspy, venomous voice whispered to Colton. He looked at Delia and saw the fear on her face, but also the determination, the strength. He loved her so, so much. He had to fight. He had to be stronger. He felt his fist raising, felt his eyes burning, felt a wide, hateful smile forming on his face. He felt Alcatza’s joy at being in complete control, having all the power over Colton to make him hurt and kill, and forcing Colton to watch and feel every second of it. This was what paradise looked like to Alcatza.

_Jesus, please. If you’re there… please, please help me to stop this. Please Jesus._

Delia lifted into the air, the invisible hands choking the life out of her.

_Jesus. Please come into my life. Please forgive me for everything that I’ve done. I’ve been a terrible husband and terrible stepfather. I’ve mocked you and your followers, but these last few weeks have proven to me that I know nothing. I’ve been wrong. Jesus, I want to know you. I’ve seen how happy you’ve made my family, and how strong you’ve made them during this horrible time. Jesus, I believe in you._

A churning feeling spun within him, and he felt like throwing up. He opened his mouth and a black mist began to drift out. Colton focused and closed his eyes, his fist still raised in the air, and his wife still hovering off of the floor, but not dying now. She was looking at him in shock, her eyes wide but not afraid. The black mist continued to drift from his body and salty tears fell from Colton’s eyes, washing out the blood and oil. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and his eyes were turning from piercing red to their normal dark brown. His fist dropped and he fell forward. Delia dropped to the floor and they landed beside each other.

“Delia?” Colton asked, his voice soft. “Colton, are you back?” Delia sat up and put her hand on Colton’s face, studying his eyes. Colton nodded. “I think so”. He got up shakily. He looked at the black mist that was hovering in the air and it dissipated with a slight crackling sound. Colton turned to see Archie sitting up now and blinking rapidly. He was okay. Cyril crawled in from the corridor, trembling, and went to check Cal for a pulse, but ended up burying his head in Cal’s shoulder and sobbing. Archie got to their side and checked Cal over. “He’s still with us” he said softly to Cyril. “We’ll need to phone an ambulance”. Greg was up as well now, looking woozy but relatively okay. Colton knew the police would probably be paying a visit once the paramedics had seen the state of the bedroom, but that was a worry for later. Cal twitched slightly and then tried to roll over. “No, no, no, stay still” Cyril said, squeezing Cal’s shoulder gently. “I’m alright” Cal said quietly, reaching out to hold Cyril’s hand. “Oh thank God. I thought I’d lost you” Cyril wept. “I’ll phone for an ambulance” Jenny said. “Wait, wait a minute, let’s figure out what we’re doing” Cal slowly propped himself up on his arm. “What happened to Alcatza?” he asked. “There was a black mist that came out of Colton’s mouth. It dissipated” Mabel replied. “Does that mean it’s gone?” Colton asked hopefully. “What exactly happened?” Archie asked Colton. “I was aware of everything. I couldn’t gain control once it took me over. I was fighting but it wasn’t working. I prayed and I asked Jesus to come into my life. Then the spirit just started to leave. It was like it was being driven out. Then it just disappeared” Colton responded. “Alright, that sounds hopeful” Cal said. “We can’t get an ambulance to come here. It’ll look suspicious. Who else needs to go to the hospital?” he asked. “Mabel’s arm is broken” Delia replied. “I’m alright. But I will probably need it looking at” Mabel said. “How are you Greg?” Jenny asked. “I’m alright. A bit tired, but I’m not in any pain” “Cyril?” Jenny asked. “I’m all good. I wasn’t hurt” “What about you Archie?” Delia asked. Archie nodded. “I’m all good” “Weren’t you knocked out?” “Yeah I think, just for a bit. I feel fine though” “We’ll have to think of a story that makes sense. Obviously we can’t tell anyone what really happened” Cal said. “I’ll drive” Delia said. “You sure you’re ok to drive?” Colton asked her. Delia nodded. “Yeah I’m fine. So, who am I taking?” “Cal and Mabel definitely” Archie said. “Anyone else?”. Jenny and Greg shook their heads. “I’m staying with you Cal” Cyril said, holding Cal’s hand. “Jenny and Greg, you go and wait over at the church. Archie, I think you should get checked out” Cal said. “Ok” Archie nodded. “I’ve got five spaces in my car” Delia said. “Colton are you going to be ok staying with Greg and Jenny?”. Colton looked nervous but nodded. “Go over to the church” Archie said. “If Alcatza’s still around, I’ve got a feeling he can’t leave this house. You’ll be safe over there”.

Cyril and Delia helped Cal out to the car. Delia grabbed a towel and Cyril pressed it against Cal’s head. It had mostly stopped bleeding now, and the injury didn’t seem to be anywhere near as serious as it had looked. Archie sat next to Delia in the front, and Mabel, Cal and Cyril sat in the back. “Let’s say that I tripped down the stairs, or something along those lines, and took you both out on the way down. That should ease any suspicion, and I reckon it’s believable” Cal said. Archie and Mabel nodded.

At the hospital Cal had his head stitched, Mabel had her arm put in a sling and Archie had a quick check-over. They were all deemed to be fine and Delia came to pick them all up from the hospital when they were finished. It was late now. The sky was dark and there was a bright full moon in the corner of the sky. “Greg and Jenny have gone home. Colton’s at the Collinson’s with the kids. They all seem okay” Delia said as she drove. “That’s good. We’ll check the house again tomorrow but hopefully Alcatza’s gone. If Colton gave his life to Jesus whilst he was possessed, it’s very likely the spirit could have been destroyed by that” Cal replied. He hoped he was right.

Delia dropped Cal and Cyril at Greg’s. Greg was doing alright. He was a bit shaken up but he’d mostly recovered from his earlier ordeal. Archie messaged Jenny to ask if it was okay for him to stay the night at hers. It had been an immensely challenging day for all of them. He didn’t want Jenny to be alone, and _he_ didn’t want to be alone either. Delia dropped Archie off at Jenny’s and he waved to her as she drove off into the night. Jenny pulled Archie into a hug at the front door and Archie held her tight, grateful that the group had gotten through today, and maybe… hopefully… everything would be alright now.


	25. Chapter 25

Cyril had never felt more terrible about himself.

He’d always prided himself on being a kind, good-hearted person, a trustworthy friend, a comedic genius and generally just an all-round decent bloke.

But he’d messed up today.

He’d been overwhelmed by everything he’d seen at Number 67.

The rest of the group had been heroes.

Colton had been able to fight against the demon and regain control. His coming to faith had most likely destroyed the demon for good.

But Cyril had done nothing.

He’d frozen.

And then when Cal was hurt he’d only gone and _fainted._

He was useless.

He lay, looking up at the ceiling, on a mattress in Greg’s spare room. Cal was at his side, nearly asleep.

Cyril didn’t know how Cal was feeling towards him at the moment.

He’d probably be thinking he was pathetic.

Cyril felt the tears start to fall before he could do anything to stop them.

He let out a shaky sigh.

Cal turned to face him, looking worried and putting a hand on Cyril’s arm.

“Honey are you ok?”.

Cyril shook his head and Cal pulled him into a close hug.

“It’s alright. It’s all going to be ok” Cal said softly, running his hand along Cyril’s spine as Cyril shook, clinging to him.

“I really, really messed up. I’m so sorry” Cyril gasped.

Cal pulled back to look at him, and gently wiped his tears away.

“You haven’t done anything wrong my love”.

Cyril went to argue but Cal hushed him.

“Hey, hey, listen to me. What we went through today was horrible. I’ve experienced this sort of thing before so I wasn’t shocked, but you’ve never dealt with anything like this. You can’t blame yourself for being afraid” Cal said.

He looked guilty, biting his lip and then said “I didn’t mean to make you feel like this. I really didn’t want you in the room because I knew there was a good chance of you getting hurt. I just saw how what was happening was affecting you and I needed you safe. I care about you too much to see you hurt”

“I care about you too, and I should’ve been there with you, stopping _you_ from being hurt. God, he could’ve killed you. I thought… Oh God, I thought when I saw all the blood, and you weren’t moving… I really thought you were dead. I…” Cyril burst into more, painful sobs, and Cal held him tighter.

“I wanted to protect you from all of this Cyril. Annaliese and I went through this last time, and I know how scary and confusing it feels. I wanted to keep you out of this because the last thing I want in the world is to see you suffer. I don’t want you to think that I think you’re weak or that you messed up, because you’re not, and you didn’t. You’re the best thing in my life. Please know that”.

Cyril nodded, trying to hear Cal’s words and believe them.

Cal phoned Annaliese first thing in the morning to reassure her that everything was alright. She’d been worried when neither he nor Cyril had been at St Brendan’s yesterday morning and had been messaging Cal most of Sunday to check in on him. She’d panicked when he’d told her he’d been injured but she seemed comforted to know that he’d been checked over at the hospital and everything was okay.

The group were meeting at the house in the late afternoon. Delia, Colton and Jenny were going to work. Greg took the day off. Archie went to his office but couldn’t focus on work so he went to Greg’s and spent the early afternoon with him, Cal and Cyril.

The group were all nervous as they went over to Number 67.

They didn’t know what they were going to find.

Was Alcatza truly gone?

The group checked around the house and then prayed together in the living room. There was a sense of peace in the house that was very different to the atmosphere that had been present the day before. As they prayed there was a chill in the room, but it was like a comforting hand.

When they finished praying, Cal looked up with a slight smile.

“I’ve got the feeling that everything’s going to be okay” he said.

“Me too” Archie nodded.

A few days later, the Walters’ settled back into Number 67 and Cal and Cyril returned to Ireland.

They hugged the Walters’, Archie, Jenny, Mabel and the Collinson’s goodbye.

“If you need us again, don’t hesitate to call” Cal said to Archie as they hugged.

Greg drove Cal and Cyril to the train station.

“I’m going to miss you both” Greg said to Cal and Cyril as they said their farewells.

“We’ll come and visit, for sure” Cyril replied. “We can Skype whenever you want as well”.

They boarded their train, waving goodbye to Greg from the window.

Cal and Cyril flew from Manchester to Dublin and then drove in Cyril’s van to Cal’s cottage.

Annaliese and her parents Megan and Ruari met them at Cal’s.

Annaliese hugged Cal tightly and then Cyril.

“I’m so glad you’re both ok” she said.

Megan made them all a three-course dinner. Cal and Cyril had barely eaten over the past few days so they greatly appreciated the meal.

Once Annaliese, Megan and Ruari had left, Cal and Cyril sat next to each other on the sofa, Cyril’s head resting on Cal’s shoulder.

Ash came and curled up on Cyril’s lap.

“I suppose I’d better be getting home to Sebastian. I haven’t been away from him this long before” Cyril said.

“How are you feeling now?” Cal asked.

Cyril shrugged.

“I’ll be alright. I think” he said uncertainly.

“You know you can bring Sebastian here and come and stay with me… for as long as you want to. Ash won’t mind. It’d probably do him some good to have a friend of his own species” Cal offered.

“Really?”

“Yeah, of course. I don’t really want you being alone after everything we’ve just been through. It’s alright if you don’t want to. I don’t want to put any pressure on you”

“Cal I’d love that. I’ll go and drive over to mine now and pick up some stuff, Sebastian included. He might be a bit fussy about the change of environment but he’s usually pretty chill”

“Do you want to sleep on the sofa or take my bed?” Cal asked.

“I’m happy to take the sofa. You deserve a good night’s sleep in your own bed” Cyril replied.

“You’re welcome to share the bed” Cal said.

Cyril smiled and nodded.

Cyril was only renting a flat whilst he got settled in Ireland and hadn’t yet found a place to live long-term.

After a week of staying at Cal’s, and the cats getting on considerably well, Cyril decided to move in with Cal full time.

They’d stopped caring what anyone from church thought.

Over in Carlisle the Walters family, Colton included, went to St Bartholomew’s every week.

Alcatza was well and truly gone.

Number 67 was peaceful and happy and the family had gained friendships that would last a lifetime.

A social worker did eventually turn up to check everything was okay, and Lula decided to tell her that she’d been responsible for her own injuries but was feeling a lot better now.

The lie proved to be convincing as there was no follow up, other than a recommendation of counselling for Lula.

Archie proposed to Jenny and she accepted.

Greg video-called Cal and Cyril for a catch up most weeks.

Greg, Jenny and Archie took a weekend break in Dublin just after New Year and met up with Cal and Cyril, who gave them a tour around the local area.

The group knew that they had the strength to get through any struggles they faced in the future, but they had certainty in their hearts that nothing like what they had faced together at Number 67 would happen again.

God had triumphed.

Alcatza was defeated and the Walters’ were safe.


End file.
